Elude
by TheActualFoxy
Summary: Mike never imagined that he would return to the pizzeria and face the overly attached animatronics yet again. What's worse, they're extremely avid to make him a part of their family, which involves stuffing him into a suit. WARNINGS: Gore and small hints of romance
1. Part 1

Damn Mike and his big mouth.

The man, in his early twenties with the dark brown hair, stands outside the pizzeria, cursing his luck. His old name tag with the word 'Mike' on it from 'Freddy Fazbear's Pizzeria' lies on top of the pile of old work clothes clutched in his arms, still bright and shiny as the day it was handed to him. The manager had a creepily large smile on his face handing it to Mike those many months ago, like he was giving him a Nobel Peace Prize.

Being in front of the once lively pizzeria, Mike tries to shake off the fear entering his system. Why the hell had he volunteered to do this? Oh, yeah, because of his big mouth.

Arranging the clothes in his arms, Mike ignores his conscience telling him to leave and approaches the pizzeria's side door where the workers entered. While not currently a worker, his old manager had given him a key to open up the abandoned building. Apparently, he's supposed to retrieve something in the parts and repair room that holds much value.

"Don't worry at all," the manager had said over the phone, his voice scratchy from the years of chain-smoking. "All of the animatronics have been shut off. They can't move around anymore. With me being currently in the hospital, I need someone to retrieve it for me." After mentioning pay for the quick job, Mike had signed himself up. It's not like he had anything to do on a late Wednesday night, anyways.

Standing right in front of the door leading to the horrors inside, memories embedded into Mike's brain start popping up. "Stop it," Mike whispers to himself, irritated that he's cowering before he even enters the place. "You're a grown ass man, start acting like one."

Slowly, he takes out the key from his trouser pocket and clicks it into the door lock. Before entering, merely as a precaution, he spits on the metal hinges of the door. By doing so, when he quietly opens the door, there isn't a peep from the rusty metal.

The air inside the building is musky; the floors full of cracked cement and dust. Holding in a cough, Mike strains his ears and listens. When silence greets him, he places a spare concrete block in front of the door to make sure it doesn't close. If he screams, his voice will be heard outside. He still doesn't trust this place, not after what he had to go through. Placing the clothes by the door with intents to leave them there when leaving the place, he rubs his sweaty palms on his shirt.

Walking down the all too familiar hallway gives Mike a small chill, remembering how Bonnie snuck down it with devious intentions and Foxy speeding towards the dingy guard's office, his face in an excited grin. The reasons why they wanted to kill Mike makes the man swallow nervously. If the animatronics happen to awaken and catch him strolling down the hallway, then he's surely dead. They'll make sure he can never leave this birdcage of a building.

Mike doesn't know why the animatronics instantly took a liking to him on the first night Even Freddy had stopped by the office to talk to Mike in a professional manner, even cracking a smile. Their sudden interest made them all the more determined to kill him. The week he worked was rough, the animatronics acting sporadically and trying their best to sneak into the office. Oftentimes they would sit outside the office, forcing Mike to drain power keeping the door closed, and talk to Mike. They were oddly friendly and very interested in the human. Unexplainable was what it was, something that Mike would've found a little flattering if they weren't set on stuffing him into a suit and making him 'one of them'.

The last day Mike had worked at the pizzeria, the seventh night, Foxy gave him the most chilling words. "Lad," Foxy had started out, staring at Mike through the office window. "We aren't foolin' around anymore. This be the last night, and we're going to catch ya. Bein' a part o' our family be what's best for ya, an' I'll see that through to the end."

Too bad for Foxy because Mike had passed the night with three percent battery remaining. His shirt was soaked with nervous sweat and his arms were cramped and shaking. Passing the show area with hopes of never returning, he caught a glimpse of the animatronics' faces as they watched him leave. Chica's was pained and she kept blinking. Bonnie's mouth was turned into a crushed frown, his foot twitching as if he wanted to move. Freddy's expression was genuinely surprised with a touch of regret. Foxy's held the rawest emotion, one of being utterly crestfallen. The fox stared at Mike miserably out of his cove, watching the man's back as he shakily left the building. _Not going in there ever again,_ Mike had thought, going home and drowning the night with bottles of cold Budweiser.

"I'm going to need a drink or two after tonight," Mike mumbles, silently walking down the interminable hallway. Being poor (and only able to afford Budweiser) he'll use a share of the money he earns tonight to pay for the alcohol, preferably something different than Budweiser. Maybe some hard liquor if there's a deal going on.

The pictures plastered to the brightly painted walls catch Mike's attention. One of them contains Bonnie and a little kid laughing and singing, another with Chica handing out cupcakes to a family. Undoubtedly they were drawn by kids, the colors messily plastered on onto the paper in a careless fashion. Mike chuckles as he spots a picture with Freddy on it, someone coloring the bear green instead of brown. The way the kid drew it made Freddy resemble Kermit the Frog.

With his mood lifted, Mike continues down the hallway. His eyes remain on the ground to avoid the several things littering the hallway. The lights above him give him no help, flickering on then dimming to the point of shutting off, pissing the man off.

He's at the doorway of the dining hall, staring into the ominous room. There's not a light on and Mike strains to see. In front of him he can make out the shape of an overturned table, but that's it. There isn't a chance he'll walk through there without any lights on. With his luck, the animatronics will be on the stage and attack him as he lurks through the large room.

Remembering that a flashlight's in his car, Mike silently groans. Looks like he'll have to go back to his car and retrieve it. Shuffling down the hallway, Mike's heart beats wildly when he catches sight of the door. Oddly, it's not open. The concrete slab in front of it is against the wall, the door firmly closed.

"Oh god." His voice echoes down the hallway, loud and clear. There's something else in this building besides him, dear God let it not be what he thinks it is.

In the distance there's the sound of something heavy moving across the floor. The manager had lied and Mike can feel anger lick him. _The dumbass either is too lazy to get off his fat ass and retrieve what he wants in the repair room, or he wants me dead for some reason._

Mike freezes, and the animatronic freezes, too. Not daring to breath, Mike clenches his fist, something he does when he's nervous. _I'm going to die,_ he thinks, the negative thought erasing everything else in his head. He has an urge to lie on the dusty floor and curl up into a ball.

 _But I've got to move_. Moving one foot at a time, Mike silently tiptoes down the hallway. Jumping when he sees something move, but relaxes short after seeing a Freddy Fazbear banner swaying gently through the breeze coming from a crack in the wall. He makes six feet when he hears it. Those large metallic footsteps bounce off the walls, giving the impression that the animatronic is running at a high speed. By the sound of it, the animatronic after him is Bonnie.

"Everyone, he's back! MIKE'S BACK!" Bonnie screams, his voice not far from Mike. One of his steps is equal to three of Mike's, and he's catching up to the human.

Without a chance to think, Mike's legs are pumping, dashing down the hallway.

Another pair of footsteps joins in with Bonnie's, this one quick and light compared to the bunny. "Mike!" Foxy yells, quickly catching up to Bonnie. Even though Mike's clearly running away from them, Foxy doesn't seem to care.

A few more steps to go. Glancing behind him, Mike spots Bonnie's delighted face and Foxy's huge grin that shows off his sharp teeth. The sight makes his legs work quicker, until he can't feel them at all. Just how fast are the animatronics? Mere seconds ago Bonnie was in the dining hall. Not to mention Foxy, who was more than likely in the back of his cove when Bonnie called out.

 _Where the hell is Chica and Freddy?_ Looking ahead, Mike whispers, "I'm screwed."

The terror sets in when Foxy breaks away from Bonnie, getting closer to Mike. Metal gleams off their bodies from the weak light above, showing off the power of the machines.

When Bonnie makes an 'Oomph' sound and a loud crash pursues, Mike lets out a loud laugh. "I thought bunnies were good jumpers," he yells out through his labored breathing, wondering where the sudden rebellion had come from. It's pure luck that Mike hasn't fallen, either.

He can hear Foxy chuckle. "Why they are, Mike, but you can't really see down this hallway, can ya? Easy to trip over things." His voice is closer and Mike runs for all he's worth, unable to accept the idea of being stuffed into a suit.

When Chica suddenly appears out of the shadows by the door Mike had come in, he swiftly makes a sharp left turn into another room, ignoring the chicken completely. If he remembers correctly, there's another door on the other side of the building that he can leave from. _And Freddy is the last one I have to deal with, that is if I can outrun Foxy._

"You're back!" Chica squeaks out with a hopeful smile, watching Mike's retreating figure. She blinks as Foxy practically flies after him. Thrilled to finally see a smile on Foxy's face, she can't help but smile, too. She had begun to get worried with Foxy isolating himself in his cove. Her smile disappears when Bonnie passes, dirt covering his fur.

Before Chica can ask, Bonnie says, "I fell. You can't see a damn thing when you go down the hallways."

"Poor Bonnie!" She watches him start a jog after them, a silly smile covering her face. Poking her head into the room Mike went in, she yells out in excitement, "I'll wash my hands before joining you!" Hands white with flower, she was finishing preparing pizza dough when Bonnie started yelling about Mikey. She'll return to the kitchen to clean up.

Into a small room then entering another, Mike realizes that he's stepped foot into the security guard's office. How familiar the room is with the desk and the fan on top, still working due to batteries. Not a time to reminisce, Mike dashes through the room until he's in another hallway. Hearing his pursuers that are too close for any comfort, he starts down this hallway. Foxy's hook brushes the air behind his neck as he once again enters the show room, and with relief he spots another door off to the right side of the room. Twenty more steps give or take. Gotta reach out and open that door…

Unknown to all of them, Freddy's in the shadows next to the door, watching everything take place. Of course he noticed the guard entering the establishment; nothing can escape his notice if it has to deal with his pizzeria. Like the mysterious man he is, he encouraged Bonnie to take a look around the west hall for something noteworthy, not explaining what it was. Bonnie was reluctant to do anything since the human had left, and hearing Bonnie's yells of joy made Freddy have hope that thing will go back to normal once Mike settles down at the pizzeria. The former night guard doesn't have a chance of leaving his establishment. Freddy won't let him.

Something rams into Mike, forcing him to fall onto the hard ground. The breath leaves Mike's lungs as Foxy tumbles down with him, landing onto the man's back with his heavy body, his hook and paw holding onto the man's shoulders. "Got ya!" Foxy exclaims, staring down at Mike's dark hair.

For Foxy, it's hard for him to put into words how much letting Mike go on the seventh night had hurt him. Watching him walk through those doors for what seemed like the last time, Foxy had felt more than heartbroken. It was as if someone had reached inside of him and ripped everything out. The next months his mood was in constant disarray, making him seek the darkness and comfort of his cove in isolation. Everything he had loved doing now seemed childish and stupid. All he wanted was to talk to Mike. Until he saw him, Foxy wouldn't have the drive to get out of his cove. The moments when he would leave his cove was in the middle of the night, and he would stare out the window, watching the parking lot to see if Mike's car would be there. The other animatronics didn't know what to do with him and his sudden depressed mood. Freddy tried to give him a pep talk about how Mike would someday return, even though he knew himself that the chances were very slim, but Foxy refused to listen. He just wanted his human friend back.

That's why, when Bonnie suddenly screamed out that Mike was in the restaurant, Foxy immediately awakened from one of his several naps of the day and shot out of his cove, his legs in danger of malfunctioning at the swift pace he was running at. If Mike wasn't there, he would kill Bonnie for getting his hopes up. Then he saw Mike's figure running in the dark, the light above shining on the man's dark hair. A relaxed feeling had settled into Foxy's stomach, and he wanted to make sure that this was Mike, that he wasn't daydreaming. Joy had spread through his artificial body, warming every crevice of his insides. This time, he wouldn't let Mike escape.

"Get off of me!" Mike yells, struggling to be free of the weight on top of him. Sliding off of him, Foxy continues holding Mike onto the floor, not allowing him to get up. At the arrival of Bonnie by Foxy's side, Mike thrashes his arms and kicks out with his legs. "Let me go!"

"And why would we do that, boy?" Freddy steps out from his place by the door and Mike's mouth drops open. Freddy's face is friendly and, daresay, caring as he watches Mike struggle in Foxy's grip.

It joys Freddy to see Foxy sitting on the ground next to Mike, a happy expression on his face as he holds onto the man. Kind of like a little kid holding his favorite toy. "You willingly came back here. No one forced you to do anything, I'm sure. I watched you enter my building without anyone near you, so it was all your own doing. Something is telling you that this is your home. Why should we deny that little voice inside of you that's telling you so?"

"Freddy's right," Bonnie agrees, watching as Foxy stands up and holds the man protectively close to his body. Mike squirms against Foxy's stone hard grip, teeth gritted.

"He's not! I sure as hell don't want to stay here!" With another twist, Bonnie takes the initiative and grabs Mike's arm to halt the flailing, worried that he might somehow break free.

"Good idea, Bonnie. He's certainly feisty. Let's bring him to the back room before he gets loose and escapes," Freddy suggests.

"You're all psychos!" Mike grits out, scratching Bonnie's arm.

"Mikey! Hello," Chica calls out pleasantly, approaching the group from the kitchen. Her hands are clean of dough, her face friendly.

Ignoring Chica, Mike stops scratching Bonnie's arm. He can't win with force against the animatronics, so what other options are there? _The element of surprise?_ Mike thinks. _But how can I surprise these assholes?_ And Freddy's still blocking the door with his humongous body.

Freddy gives the now motionless Mike a suspicious look, aware that the man's brewing up something in his head.

"Foxy, is he in a bad mood?" Chica asks, eyes hurt. "He won't even look at me!"

"I'm not sure, lass." Foxy removes his hook from Mike's shoulder with a smile. "Finally behavin', are ya? When you become one o' us, we'll have lots o' fun, I promise ya."

"And with me too," Bonnie adds.

Rolling his eyes, Foxy glances at the bunny. "Mikey's me lad, not yours."

"You don't own him. He can hang out with whoever he wants," Bonnie spits back, eyes narrowed.

"Break it up you two," Freddy commands with a touch of annoyance, arms crossed. "Mike will hang out with all of us, not just one specific animatronic. That is if we can put him in a suit, which we haven't accomplished yet." As Freddy motions towards the back rooms, Mike suddenly smacks Foxy in the face, the surprise from the lashing out causing him to let go of Mike.

Before he can move, Bonnie's grabbing his arm to the point of breaking it. "You shithead, let go of me!" Mike exclaims. The bunny's ears droop.

"Why does this have to be so complicated? It's a simple concept. Stuff him in the suit," Freddy mumbles. Shaking his head, he unexpectedly grabs Mike and hauls him towards the parts and repair room.

"No!" Mike screams, but it's useless. The arms pushing him towards the dark room are more powerful than any of the other animatronics' grips. The rest of the animatronics follow Freddy's wake with enthusiasm. Foxy jogs up next to Freddy, eyes on Mike. "You can't do this to me!" Tears run down his cheeks and he feels no comfort as Foxy puts a paw lightly on his shoulder.

"It'll be fine," Foxy soothes. "I'll be with ya."

"Don't do this to me," Mike sobs. They enter the room and Freddy forcefully lays Mike down on a huge table. Animatronic parts hang on the walls and Mike feels a rush of queasiness. "I don't want to die."

"Foxy, help me get this suit ready," Freddy asks, back turned.

"Chica and Bonnie, make sure he doesn't move an inch." With that, Foxy leaves the table side and helps out Freddy.

Flailing does no good and Mike lies there, exhausted, while Bonnie continues holding onto one of his arms. Chica wipes the tears away from Mike's face, humming. It's quiet except for Mike's sobs and the preparation of the suit.

"Bonnie," Mike whispers. Chica and Bonnie lean in to listen to him. "If you let me go, I can promise you that I'll return. You don't have to stuff me into a suit to make me stay. We can both be happy if we can make an arrangement where I don't have to die, but I can still visit you."

"I think you would leave and never come back," Chica admits sadly. "But if you become one of us, you'll never want to leave! You'll be friends with us forever."

"I'd come back," Mike lies.

"I doubt that," Freddy says over his shoulder.

Foxy holds both parts of the suit while Freddy orders Bonnie to get Mike off the table. Holding the trembling guard, Bonnie watches Foxy lay out the backside of the suit full of wires and springs. It looks terribly painful. Mike whimpers and Bonnie feels his mechanical heart break.

"Everything's going to be fine," Bonnie assures the man, patting him gently on the back.

They all stare at the suit like it's going to jump up and perform something amazing. Then, Freddy holds out his arms. Bonnie feels Mike's fist clench in his fur, but he hands the former guard over.

In Freddy's arms and suddenly feeling a paw on his shoulder, Mike can't move. Even if he had the most strength in the world, his body wouldn't have moved. The night had thrown too much at him and his mind doesn't know what to make of it. Maybe his brain has finally snapped.

A scream tears through Mike's throat as he's pushed into the suit, feeling the metal rip through his soft flesh. They rip through every past of his flesh until they're sticking out through the other side of his body. Blood rushes out through the several wounds until Mike's shirt is covered in it. Like a lake, it pools in the suit, dripping onto the floor. There's a huge wire sticking out of his stomach, waiting to connect with the fitting part. Several wires stick out of his arms, legs, and chest, like a puzzle piece. The pain is indescribable. If there wasn't a wire sticking through his throat, Mike would've screamed again and again. In his younger years he had once cut his palm on sharp glass. It was nothing compared to this. Pain that's so powerful that you can't move in fear of making it a hell of a lot worse. Each breath sends spikes of pain through his chest.

His fear has left him due to one simple fact. No matter how much he screams or begs for life, he's still going to die.

"The top," Freddy commands, using his paw to push down Mike's body further into the suit, causing the wounds in his frail body to deepen. When Mike swallows, some of the saliva pours out from the wound on his neck and a fresh batch of tears clot his eyes.

The paw on his shoulder disappears, then shortly reappears. Chica and Bonnie watch Mike silently, not moving an inch to help him. Silently he curses their names, all of them. Most of all, Freddy.

The top part of the suit doesn't hurt much at all. It connects with the wires sticking out of Mike's body. It fits around Mike like a blanket. Except blankets didn't smell like death and are stained with blood.

When Mike feels his eyes roll, Foxy lightly smacks his cheeks. "Not yet, lad," he says seriously.

"Give him some space," Bonnie says, holding out his arm to stop Chica from getting closer to the table. "It'll still work if he taps out early."

"Not if he doesn't have the head on," Freddy explains, holding out the last piece of the suit out, the head piece. Foxy's the one who gently lifts up Mike's head, allowing Freddy to slip the

piece onto his head. Chica winces as she hears a crushing sound. Bonnie watches it all, hoping that it'll work, ears alert.

Mike feels the head piece contract against his head, slowly squishing his brain. Something's ripping his mouth, the pain similar to getting several teeth pulled without pain medicine. His eyes pop, something pushing against them. All the while, Mike thinks, 'What a terrible way to die.' His lack of concern about his well-being doesn't surprise him. In the back of his mind, he knew he was a dead man from the first noises he heard while inside the pizzeria. So, it's not entirely a surprise that he's mutilated on a table in the parts and repair room while surrounded by the four animatronics. They're all gathered around the table, their heads practically covering the view of the ceiling. They stare at him like some kind of zoo attraction.

"Now he's ready," Freddy says quietly.

Silent moments pass. Mike's breathing becomes harsher, his lungs gasping for air. Another breath brings blood into his lungs and he chokes, a mix of spit and blood oozing out of his mouth.

In the moment, Mike can physically feel the life draining out of him. While that life is floating away, his eyes start to shut.

"It's all right t'let go now," Foxy says quietly, squeezing Mike's shoulder. Even though Mike can't feel the touch due to the thick padding of the suit, it gives him a sense of comfort. When he closes his eyes, he imagines his mom squeezing his shoulder affectionately, not Foxy.

Drifting off into the darkness of his damaged mind, Mike takes his last breath. Before falling down the dark abyss, breaking away from this life and entering somewhere anew, he makes sure he dies with his eyes closed.

* * *

When Mike tries to open his eyes, worry flits through him when they won't open. It's like something's sticking them together. Moving his arm to rub his eyes, he flinches when soft material brushes against his skin. Tasting blood in his mouth brings back what had happened. Oddly, he's not worried. He's obviously died and is somewhere else. The question is where? Hopefully somewhere that has great sunlight and a warm beach. Do beaches smell like sweat and blood?

Something wet, like a cloth, suddenly rubs his eyes. Mike can feel the stickiness melt away and feels excitement at the thought of opening his eyes. Will he be in heaven? When his dark brown eyes finally examine the area around him, he freezes. It's the room where he was murdered at. Chica's beside him, smiling like a little girl.

"Mikey! How're you feeling?" she asks, voice raised in excitement.

"Mike's awake!" Foxy yells out from another room, his footsteps getting near until he pops into the room, jumping beside the man. Bonnie and Freddy soon enter the room, Mike staring at them, wondering what's going on. He's supposed to be dead. He couldn't have survived being stuffed into a suit...

"Oh my _god_ ," Mike stammers in horror as he glances down at his "body". Now covered in a light yellow suit, there are bloodstains staining several patches of the artificial fur. Paws replace his hands while the ears on top of his head twitch.

"I knew that suit would suit you well," Freddy says proudly.

"Pun intended," Bonnie silently adds under his breath.

"He's still ignoring me," Chica murmurs.

"Dare I say it, you look kinda cute in that bunny suit," Foxy chuckles, helping Mike off of the table. Mike shakily gets to his feet, not understanding.

Bonnie glances down at the floor, his cheeks turning a different shade. "You do look cute."

"Back off," Foxy growls, eyes narrowed. "Just because he's a bunny doesn't mean you automatically have t' have a crush on him."

"What the hell? When did I ever say I had a crush on him?"

"Shut up you two," Freddy snaps, tired of the bickering. The two instantly quiet down and wait for Mike to say something.

"Why am I not dead?" Mike questions aloud, looking at the animatronics in turn. The fear he had felt for them was gone.

Before anyone can answer, Chica intervenes. "I know! Let me explain." Being pleased at being the center of attention, she continues, "Whenever we put a suit on a human and they die while inside of it, they'll come back to life as an animatronic."

"She's right," Bonnie adds. "Freddy revived all of us when something terrible inside the pizzeria happened. He would've let us all die if we didn't tell him that we wanted to live. So he gave us this life, just like how we gave you yours."

"So can I get out of the suit?" Mike whispers.

"Nope. It's stuck on you forever," Foxy explains happily. "We can play forever now that you're one o' us!"

"You're now a part of this family, boy," Freddy asserts. "You'll be protected from the nastiness of the human world. Would you like a new name since you're starting out a new life in our family?"

Numbly shaking his head, Mike cannot bring himself to look at any of them in the eyes.

"Why do you look so sad?" Chica asks after a beat of silence from the newly made animatronic. "If you can't think of a name, I can make one for you!"

"He's been through a lot these past hours," Freddy explains. "We should give him some time to get used to his new body."

"That's right. Took me months to get used to my animatronic body," Bonnie adds.

"What I'm trying to say," Freddy looks sharply at Foxy, "Is that we need to leave him alone for a while. We're overwhelming him."

"Alright, fine. Tomorrow let's hang out, okay?" Bonnie says to Mike, receiving a glare from Foxy.

"Dear God if you two argue again..." Freddy warns. Bonnie leaves promptly after that, not wanting to get reprimanded again. Chica follows Bonnie out the door with a, "See ya!"

Mike glances up from the ground when it's only Foxy and Freddy in the room. Foxy's close to his side, his paw twitching impatiently.

Freddy gives Foxy a stern glance. "Foxy, I need to talk to Mike alone."

There's no way in hell Mike's going to allow himself to be alone with Faz. "I'm not staying here," he suddenly spits out, his jaw aching. "I'll try my best to escape this place."

Freddy raises an eyebrow while Foxy glances between the two nervously. "You can get those silly thought out of your head," Freddy says sternly. "You aren't leaving."

"Why not? I can walk out the door right now if I wanted to," Mike argues, his rabbit ears twitching irritably.

"That's not possible."

"Why the hell not? If not a door, I'll smash a window out and climb out through it!"

Amusement crosses Freddy's face. "I'll tell you why. Your first question was, 'Why am I not dead.' This pizzeria contains supernatural powers that your mind will never fully understand. I fail to understand it all, either. All I know is that I was made by these supernatural powers. I used those supernatural powers to revive Chica, Bonnie, Foxy, and you from the dead."

"I was perfectly fine when you shoved that suit on me!" Mike shouts, interrupting the bear. "You're the one that killed me! You're a murderer!"

"Don't you dare call me a murderer." Freddy's eyes turn cold and Foxy winces, knowing the moods Freddy can get himself in. "I was doing what's best for you."

"How do you know what's best for me?! You don't know anything about me!"

"I know that you were lonely as a kid."

"Everyone's lonely as a kid at some point," Mike mutters, not wanting to remember his younger years.

"Alright then, so everyone's lonely when they're a kid. At least their parents are there to help them through the tough times, right? But I know that your dad never cared about you. Your mom was the only one who showed you affection."

"Shut up."

Noting Mike's hitch in his voice, Foxy pipes up, "Freddy, I think you got your point across. Let's leave t' lad be."

"I still haven't answered his question, though," Freddy growls. His face suddenly loses the anger he originally had, replaced by sorrow. "Due to you being reincarnated by the supernatural powers of this building, you have a small part of that power inside of you. Whenever you try to leave the building, that piece inside of you will not allow you to continue outside."

Mike hides his face in his hands. His body shakes and a sob escapes from him. For a moment Freddy regrets transforming this broken man into one of them, but it disappears as fast as it appears. He's doing what's best for his family. Chica, Bonnie, and Foxy are smiling again. And that's all that matters. Mike will get used to living here, and eventually, the pizzeria and his new body will grow on him, just like it had on Freddy himself when he was transformed into an animatronic.

"Mike..." Foxy's about to comfort him when Freddy points to the door. After a glance back at his friend, Foxy leaves the room, his tail dragging miserably on the floor. He thought that things would've played out better than what they currently have.

Watching him sob, Freddy stands in between the door frame, conflicted emotions passing his face. "I'm sorry, Mike." Departing from the room and leaving him to sob, Freddy doesn't know what he apologized for, for the man's unlucky life or the fact that he'll stay here, unwillingly, forever as a part of their family.


	2. Part 2

Closets aren't the most comfortable places to hide, but they're perfect for getting away from the brutality of reality and pondering about things on in one's mind. What he likes about it is that it separates him from _them._

The bottom of the door allows sunshine to slink into the dark closet. Other than that, the only other light in the cramped space is a pair of bleak, brown eyes. His eyes reflect what's inside, something dead and lost.

The animatronic inside the hallway's closet perks his yellow ears at the sound of approaching feet. His long ears brush against the tiny closet's side walls. Seeing the two shadows of large feet outside the closet, he pushes himself against the wall to further himself away from the figure outside.

"I know you're in there, Mike. Please come out."

"Screw off" Mike rasps, his voice sounding foreign to himself. Seems like the suit's taking over that, too. Soon his voice will become too altered for others to know that it's him.

Every day that passes, his new animatronic body sinks its claws further into Mike's soul and mind. Not his human body- somehow, it had disappeared. Impossible, right? But it's true. Not a bone or ounce of blood hides in Mike's new body. Standing in front of a mirror, he had examined himself from the inside of his metal mouth to the wires connecting his feet to his legs. Multiple times he's tried ripping himself up with knives, glass, and his own hands, but his suit won't budge. The pizzeria's spirit inside of him must have something to do with it. He's essentially a robot without any remains of his human self left except for his personality, eyes, and ever-changing voice.

"Please?"

There's worry in Freddy's voice. Well, who wouldn't be worried if their loved one decided to spend three weeks camping out in a closet? Since Mike doesn't need food or water, the only reason he left the closet was to stretch his aching wires. Technically he didn't need to breathe either, but he still did.

Waiting for Freddy to leave like he always does when he's ignored, Mike breathes in deeply. If Freddy knew how much he's hated, he would deem becoming friends with Mike a lost cause. Over the past weeks of being in the closet, Mike had started to feel the anger he felt for all the animatronics shift all onto Freddy, because wasn't Freddy the one that carried him to the room and pushed him into that suit? All of the animatronics showed emotions of regret throughout the whole ordeal, but Freddy only cared about him being a part of his twisted family. Sure, the other wanted that too, but Freddy was ultimately the one that acted upon it.

That second day of being "one of them", Mike had fallen to his strong emotions. It isn't something he likes to reminisce on due to the unfavorable outcome.

The animatronics had left him alone while his newly built body was adjusting. He had continued sitting on that table in the back, devoid of any emotion. It was after his breakdown and he couldn't recall a time when he felt worse. But when the sun was in the sky, Mike felt a small twinge in his body, growing larger every time he would think back to the procedure and his future.

The other animatronics were thrilled to witness Mike finally getting up from the table. It wasn't for the reason they expected it to be.

"Ya okay now?" Foxy asked, his eyes bright. Almost pouncing on him, Foxy felt impatient the whole time he lingered outside his door. He kept up with Mike's fast and determined steps down the hallway. He thought they were going to Pirate's Cove to start an adventure.

Being an animatronic and having a part of the building's spirit inside of him, Mike possessed inside of him something like an animatronic radar. It told him where the animatronics were in the pizzeria. Bonnie and Chica were away from the main area, and that was all that mattered.

Legs burning from the recent procedure, Mike awkwardly jogged into the main hall. His teeth clenched when he spotted the figure by the show stage. Anger consumed him from the inside out, and he wanted to rip off Freddy's head and ruin his metal insides, painfully and slowly. Starting for the figure, he breathed harshly in anticipation. Following closely behind, Foxy scrambled to keep up, a bad feeling in his chest.

"What ya be doin'?" Foxy voiced nervously, noting Mike's deadly face.

Freddy glanced up from the cleaning the floor and set aside his mop, throwing his arms out protectively just in time as Mike smashed into him with his heavy body. When the animatronics were feeling angry, their bodies would let out a considerable amount of heat. Freddy had never felt waves of heat rolling off an animatronic until now, the first clue of Mike's deep hatred of him.

"Fight me!" Mike yelled, his mouth twitching uncontrollably with wrath. Against the bear, he noticed that they were around the same height. His voice was twitchy due to his infuriation. "You don't have the upper hand anymore, so fight me!" _Let me kill you!_

Freddy noticed the anger tearing Mike apart and his hands gently pushed Mike away. How easy it was to relate to Mike's feelings, for he had felt the same many years ago. "Stop this," he said softly, eyes urging him to stop. His tone of voice made Mike growl.

As two fists were wildly thrown, Freddy clamped onto them before they touch his body. Humongous and strong, Freddy's hands crush Mike's. Excitement coursed through Mike. This was his chance. Could his soul be freed if the leader of the place was murdered? But however hard Mike struggled, he couldn't free his hands from Freddy's. Kicks were lashed out, Freddy dodging them effortlessly. The excitement bore into intense anger.

His hands started to bend under the pressure. Telling Freddy to let go, though, would be admitting defeat. Freddy's eyes bored into Mike's, pleading him to stop. Freddy flinched when Mike's teeth sunk into his fur. Automatically he snapped his arm upward, cracking one of his teeth.

 _Why am I still struggling to break free? We're both animatronics, there are no advantages. I should be winning against this dumbass._ But Freddy wouldn't let go of his hands.

At that point Mike suddenly realized that nothing had changed. He was still a weak human inside and Freddy would always be the stronger one. _I'll always struggle._ At once the urge to kill Freddy escaped Mike's mind. Why try to do something when you knew you could never do it?

Freddy broke the eye contact when Mike stopped struggling, having a good idea of what Mike was thinking. Foxy stood off to the side, watching the altercation. "Foxy, please take Mike. Bring him into the kitchen and get him something to eat," Freddy commanded, releasing Mike's hands. There was no need to hold onto them longer; they wouldn't struggle.

Foxy knew something important had exchanged between the two but was completely clueless. All he could do was smile at Mike and walk alongside him to the kitchen. "Lad, t'reason why I like ya so be because ya true t' yourself. I always admire that in people, t'not be scared o' showin' their thoughts and feelin's, even against someone strong like Freddy."

That was when Mike smiled and his livid feelings towards Foxy left like a stale breeze.

Mike ate the delicious pizza made by Chica and afterword seeked out the closet like returning to a lost lover. In the shadows of the dreary closet, Mike could pretend that he was somewhere else than the pizzeria. The closet he chose was strategically by the kitchen, and he could hear Chica bustle around with pots and pans. Since the power was cut off, the leftover dough was frozen in a freezer packed with ice and the dough was cooked over a fire.

Hearing these sounds, sometimes Mike convinced himself that it was his mother cooking. Chica oftentimes knocked on the closet and left a plate of pizza outside the door. Bonnie would pass by the closet and never ask Mike how he was doing, knowing that Mike did feel like shit and not reminding him so, but would inform him on the weather and how the sky seemed to change daily. The anger for them left, until the only negative feelings he had left were all for Freddy.

Freddy bangs on the door, snapping Mike from his thoughts. "You don't have a choice. Get out now or I'll come in there myself."

"Break down the door then," Mike snaps. There's a tense silence. For a second he thinks Freddy's about to leave, but then the door shudders with a loud bang. Shocked, Mike squints at the light and dust that blows into his eyes.

Grabbing the dismantled door, Freddy chucks it to the side. "Get up." He holds out his hand, waiting for Mike to grab on.

Not acknowledging the help, Mike sluggishly stands. His metal legs make an ear-grating sound from lack of use. "What do you want?" he mumbles, irritated.

"Follow me."

"Why?" Mike asks suspiciously.

"Trust me."

"Not a chance," Mike mumbles under his breath. If the closet door was on he would've crept back in. However, since it was missing, there was really nothing else to do other than follow Freddy. _I'll make this as painful as I can._

They make their way down the hallway, Freddy glancing back to make sure Mike doesn't wander off. With tired eyes, he sighs when he sees Mike dragging along and patiently waits for him to catch up. At the show stage Freddy motions for Mike to sit at one of the tables. Sitting at a table in the front row, Mike wonders what this is all about. It kind of feels like attending a college class.

"I want to explain something to you," Freddy starts out, but his eyes leave Mike to something over his shoulder. Looking back, Mike sees Bonnie, Foxy, and Chica enter the room. They all give Mike encouraging smiles as they take their places at his table. Bonnie makes way to sit by him, but Foxy beats him to it. Giving an annoyed humph, Bonnie takes the open seat next to Chica.

When everyone's settled, Freddy coughs loudly. "I'll start out by saying that you, Mike, are truly one of us. I consider you a part of my beloved family, and it pains me to see you so unwilling to be a part of it. But, I was expecting that. I knew you would hate me for changing you into one of us." Freddy glances at the ground, misery in his eyes.

"You're right, I do hate you," Mike assures. Chica claps a hand over her mouth at the audacity of the sentence.

"Stop givin' Mike that look, it's annoyin'," Foxy snaps. Bonnie immediately glances at Freddy, rubbing his nose in embarrassment.

"Chica, this shouldn't come as a shock. The reason why I was the one that put him into that suit was because I knew he would hate me more than any of you. I can deal with this hate, and I don't want you to experience Mike's astray emotions."

 _Could I get away with picking up a table and chucking it at Freddy?_ Mike wonders, tracing a hand over the shiny tabletop.

"Continuing on, I recognized you when I saw you enter the pizzeria as the night guard. You looked entirely different from your younger self, but I knew it was you. Years back you came here as a child, and I clearly remembered your face. You loved playing with us and smiled throughout the hours you were here." Freddy's voice drops and his face twists into an ugly sneer. "But then your father came in to pick you up. You were by my side on the stage when he arrived. I remember how scared you looked. You became this different person as he went up to you and pulled you by the arm. I wanted to rip that man's face off and allow you to stay here forever. I wanted to protect you from him."

"What the hell do you know about my father?" Mike snaps. "And I never took a step in this place when I was younger. You're making crazy shit up to try to make me like you more. It's not going to happen, so stop trying."

"Mike..." Foxy mutters.

"If only you knew how caring Freddy is," Chica whispers, feeling sick to her stomach watching Mike tear Freddy apart with his horrible words.

"Actually, you did," Bonnie clarifies, head cocked as he remembers. "You played my guitar and got messy fingerprints all over the paint. I still have them on my guitar if you want proof."

"Argh, I remember it like it happened yesterday," Foxy grins. "You peeked into me cove and said hi to me. I know it sounds like nothin', but nobody gave me any attention since they scrapped me."

"I didn't go there," Mike insists. "Oh my god, you got the wrong person."

"All I want is understanding between us," Freddy continues, voice neutral.

"How can I understand the one that killed me?" Mike snaps, wanting to smile at Freddy's suddenly deadly expression. "You were the one that pushed me into that suit. I know that the other helped, but I'm not blaming them. They were under your directions. You're the dictator here, and I can see you brainwashing them."

"I did not force them to do anything," Freddy argues. "They did it with their own free will, so don't give me that 'brainwashing' bullshit. I care about them too much to use such tactics against them!" At the end of the sentence he's almost yelling. Chica squeaks, not used to Freddy cursing.

"Stuffing you in a suit was the only way. I never wanted to see you as miserable as the day your father came in and picked you up! For all I knew you still lived with your father when you walked through these doors as the night guard!"

"STOP TALKING ABOUT MY FATHER!" Mike screams, his voice echoing throughout the building. Everyone's shocked into silence; even Freddy shows hints of surprise.

"Why don't we bake something?" Chica suddenly offers, patting Mike on the back. He doesn't have the heart to tell her to fuck off, that he's in a terrible mood and wants to be left alone.

"That doesn't sound like a bad idea!" Foxy glances at Mike hopefully, wanting to escape from the deadly atmosphere. All of them look at Mike hopefully except for Freddy, who contains an upset expression and stares out the window. "What do ya say, mate?"

He wants to return to his closet but Freddy _broke the damn door down_. Maybe he can find another closet. But then again, what good would that do? To hide for the rest of his life? _Maybe I can start a rebellion against Freddy_ , Mike ponders.

"Sure."

* * *

It wasn't like Mike enjoyed cooking when he was fully human. Whenever his stomach started to growl or his taste buds desired something in particular, his food was always handed to him in a bag through a drive-thru window. Not once can he recall cooking up something for himself that wasn't frozen or a cup of noodles.

That mindset changed when he started to cook at the pizzeria. While mixing sauces or keeping an eye on the dough above the fire (since the oven didn't work), it gave him a distraction. For those moments in the kitchen he could forget about his struggle of being transformed into an animatronic and pretend that he was working at a low-pay job with the suck ass boss being Freddy.

Chatting with Chica wasn't all that bad, either. Since Mike remained in the kitchen for a larger part of the day, he attracted the other animatronics to the kitchen. Chica was delighted at the sudden attention it was getting, and Mike assumed that she felt left out, being the only girl in the establishment.

Determined to be Mike's best mate, Foxy spent most of the passing days in the kitchen. Bonnie also made it a personal mission to hang out in the kitchen as often as he could. Both boys were bombarded with the staggering amount of pizza that Chica and Mike created. They never failed to eat every last slice.

Even though Mike had left that closet a week ago after that huge argument with Freddy, in six day's time he had learned an abundant amount of information about the animatronics. Except Freddy, Mike made sure to ignore him. When he would enter the kitchen Mike would flit over to watch the pizza cook or anything to make the bear feel as unwelcome as possible. When he would try to make conversation, Mike would hum and drown out his voice.

All of them slept in the show stage on old fluffy blankets, and Mike made sure to sleep as far away from Freddy as possible. Good thing Foxy was the blockade. Not that he was up against Mike when he was sleeping, Mike made sure he was a little ways away due to his smell, but Foxy's blanket was closest to his. Being used to sleeping by a wall, Mike slept in between the wall and Foxy. Bonnie would've, but Foxy had shooed him away, leaving him to sleep by Chica and Freddy. Mike felt bad for Bonnie but didn't say anything, not wanting Foxy to get upset. For some reason, there was a competition between the two boys that Mike couldn't fully understand.

On the seventh day, bright in the morning, Mike's in the kitchen. Chica's beside him, setting out the spices needed for creating the sauce. She's in charge of mixing the dough but has trouble getting it out of the bottomless freezer. "You're taller than me, so could you get the dough for me?" she had asked that first day of him being in the kitchen.

It's when Mike opens up the cold freezer, peeking inside and grabbing the last pounds of dough, that he realizes that this past week of serenity in the kitchen is going to end. _This is the last of it_ , Mike glumly thinks, staring at the dough.

"It's all we have left." Handing the dough to Chica, he takes the pack of matches on the table and lights one. Throwing it into the fireplace, he watches the bright flame become steadily larger and engulf the wooden sticks.

"Oh no, what'll I do now?" Chica wonders aloud, worried. "All I do around here is cook!"

"We'll figure something out," Mike promises, smiling to hide the lie. He feels better when Chica grins back. _I wonder if she'll join my rebellion against Freddy._

"Chica?" Bonnie enters the kitchen briskly, his expression frazzled. "Freddy wants to see us. I don't know why, so don't ask."

 _Leaving me out I see. More than likely it's about me, being all secretive and involving Faz. I'm tempted to follow them and see what this is about._

"Alright, wait a minute while I clean up." Unwrapping the apron around her waist and throwing it on the counter, she tells Mike, "Prepare the sauce and leave it in the bowl. Add something special if you want since it's the last one we'll make for a while."

"Okay." _Have fun,_ Mike thinks as the two leave the kitchen. Officially alone and knowing he won't be bothered due to the meeting with Faz and Foxy's tummy ache from ingesting too much pizza, relief hits him. It's the first time he's been alone since emerging from the closet. He can do anything he wants. The idea of taking a shower hits him, but the establishment doesn't have a shower or a bath.

The fire crackles. Staring at the dancing orange flames, Mike has a sudden thought. A crazy thought for anyone normal, but Mike wasn't the least bit ordinary. Making sure that the others are away and not lingering in the hallways, he approaches the flames and gradually brings his paws closer to the heat. They're centimeters away from the fire, but Mike can't feel any ounce of heat. As a young boy, he was only burned once while trying to heat up marshmallows for s'mores. It immediately hurt when he touched the flame.

 _This is nuts. I now can't feel the pain of fire._ When he puts his right paw directly in the fire, he can't help but smile at the sound of sizzling and the lack of feeling. If only his parents could witness this! After six seconds Mike feels a sharp twinge. Another second brings this twinge into a stab of pain. The fire had burned through his suit, touching the endoskeleton inside. And damn, it 'hurt.'

Whipping his hand out of the fire and examining the charred color, he sighs. Now that he thinks about it, everything makes sense. When Freddy was crushing his hand, the pain started when the endoskeleton was under incredible strain. His suit had no feeling whatsoever. His endoskeleton held the sensitivity.

"Better start on the sauce." Leaving the fireplace and popping off the lid of the jar of flavoring, he gets to work. A peace settles over him as he gets into stirring the sauce in the bowl and adding certain amounts of flavoring. When Chica and Bonnie enter the kitchen, Mike's adding a secret touch to the sauce. With his charred hand he waves. "How did it go?"

"Mike, what happened?" Chica screeches loudly, running over to examine his hand. Beside her, Bonnie gawks at Mike's black fingers.

"I wasn't careful with the fire," Mike explains, attempting to hide his burned hand behind his back.

"What were you doing? I told you to make the sauce! That has nothing to do with the fire," Chica demands.

All eyes snap to the doorway as footsteps echo down the hallway. Fear enters Mike's chest as he imagines Freddy bursting in and demanding how Mike had gotten burned. What would he say in his defense? Freddy will know that something's up. Luckily, it's only Foxy.

"What happened?" he demands, entering the room and examining each of the animatronics from head to toe.

"Mike badly burned himself," Bonnie informs, holding up the burned paw.

"I'm fine. Seriously, you guys are blowing this out of proportion."

"What the hell are you saying? I would be freaking out if I was burned!" Bonnie gently touches the center of Mike's scorched paw. "Does it hurt?"

"Nope. Like I said, I'm perfectly fine. Stop worrying about me."

"We'll always worry about you." The room becomes quiet as Freddy enters, his eyes trained on Mike's hand. "Could I see?"

"No," Mike snaps, his usual hostility towards the bear replaced with panic.

"Hold out your hand. Now."

Holding it out, Mike winces as Freddy squeezes harshly. The levels of knowledge in his eyes frightens Mike. "If you drew your hand away from the fire immediately, it wouldn't have affected your endoskeleton," Freddy comments, an eyebrow quirked. There's no doubt about it. He knows, and Mike wants to sink into the floor.

The statement makes the other animatronics examine Mike with curiosity

"What ya sayin', Freddy? You're sayin' that he burned himself on purpose?" Foxy asks.

Immediately Freddy shakes his head. "No, I don't mean that. I was just making an observation. Please disregard it." Releasing Mike's paw, Freddy gives him an accusing stare.

 _Oh God, I'm in trouble._

"I need to talk to you. I've already talked to the others about this small problem we've been recently experiencing. So please, come with me." Freddy motions for the hallway and Mike dutifully follows, his stomach lurching. What will Freddy do once he knows the truth?

Very rarely does Mike feel anything other than anger in Freddy's presence, and this sudden terror in his gut makes him feel slightly ridiculous. Down the hallway and in the main hall, they climb onto the main stage and wander to the back where their "beds" lay. Two chairs are placed in the corner by Bonnie's bed. Beside the bed lays his guitar and Mike notices tiny, grimy fingerprints on the shiny paint.

Sitting down in a chair, Mike folds his arms.

"Before I start off with what I told the others, I want you to truthfully explain why you burned yourself. I will not accept any lies, either. Just the truth," Freddy commands, adjusting the cushion on his seat and sitting down.

Scratching an ear, Mike glances at the ground. Freddy waits patiently for an explanation. Why can he make Mike suddenly feel like a misbehaving child? "It's difficult to explain," he whispers.

"Then tell me. I'm certain I can help you through this." Freddy's voice sounds genuine, but Mike doesn't believe it.

"No you can't," he snaps, uncrossing his arms and glaring at him. "You wouldn't understand a damn thing."

"Is that what you think?" Freddy glances at Mike's burned hand, then back to his face. "I'd understand you perfectly because I went through the same exact experiences that you're currently going through. I was forced against my will to become an animatronic, and like you did with your arm, I tried everything to tear myself apart. Burning was the only way I could hurt myself, and there was a time when I liked the feel of fire. This was when I was recently changed, when my humanity was fighting against the endoskeleton. I could feel my humanity slipping away with every passing day, and hurting myself helped clear my mind of the terror I felt. Sometimes I wished that I had the courage to light myself on fire. I thought, 'I'd rather be dead than be an animatronic.'"

Swallowing nervously, Mike adds, "To clear things up, I didn't intentionally want to hurt myself. I'm not some crazed maniac that wants to hurt myself. I wanted to see if I could feel the fire. No matter what I did to myself, I couldn't feel anything. The only other time I felt pain was when you crushed my hand."

"Mike," Freddy says seriously, eyes grave, "I never want you to misuse fire like that ever again. You could damage yourself beyond repair if it goes out of control. Fire can kill us, and I don't want to worry that you'll "accidentally" burn yourself again.

 _If I want to die, all I have to do is set myself on fire._ A pleased look crosses Mike's face at this certainty.

Watching Mike closely, Freddy notices this sudden change and his eyes narrow. "Don't you get the idea of setting yourself on fire stuck in your head. I won't allow it to happen."

"I'm not that desperate to escape this place." _Yet_.

"To make sure you don't do anything asinine, I will personally dispose of those matches myself."

"Go right ahead," Mike snorts. "I already know how to start a fire without using matches."

Freddy's eyes darken. "How do you expect me to trust you when you spew stuff like this? You're giving me more excuses to keep a closer an eye on you."

"I don't want you to trust me." Rolling his eyes, Mike wishes he was back in the kitchen. Oh wait, he can't cook anything because the dough's all gone.

"Besides that, there's something more serious I need to inform you about," Freddy continues, uneasiness entering his voice. "Today I've noticed the presence of several people milling around the pizzeria. They never made moves to enter, but merely walked around our building. They were wearing professional suits and one of them held a large piece of paper. They're gone now, and I knew that the others would want to see for themselves if I told them while they were here. I don't know what they're up to, but I want you to be cautious. That means staying away from the windows to divert being seen and not causing any kinds of ruckuses."

"What if I-"

"No what ifs," Freddy interrupts. "The others understand the severity of this situation and are doing as I tell them. I hope that you will, too, but in all honestly I'm not setting my expectations high."

"What the hell?" Mike pauses and his ear twitches. The seriousness in Freddy's eyes makes Mike uncomfortable. Not that being serious in general is bad, but being worried about by another isn't something Mike's used to, no less if it's an animatronic. "How do you know if what they're doing out there is bad or not? Maybe they want to remodel the place."

"But how can you explain this sudden activity?" Frowning, Freddy nervously clenches his fists. "I've been here since the day this place was shut down. No one has come close to this place except for you. Another reason why I knew you belonged here with us."

"Don't get started on that again," Mike snaps.

"Fine, but do you get the point? Why are rich businessmen suddenly interested in this place? I mean, look around!" Angrily, Freddy leaps out of his seat. Standing so the bear doesn't tower over him, Mike's not sure what to make of this entirely new side of him. "I worry about my family constantly. I don't know what I'd do if something happened to them. This building's important, too. This is the only place where we can live at. Those people outside today," Freddy suddenly grabs Mike shoulders, face terrified, "Were talking not about remodeling, but about tearing this place apart. By the way they said it, the remodeling process will be starting soon."

Mike doesn't shrug off Freddy's hands, appalled at this sudden behavior. Somehow, he knows that Freddy had been bottling up these feelings all throughout the day and needs a release. Not that Mike likes Freddy in the slightest, but he doesn't like seeing Freddy in this state. He'd rather Freddy be pissed off than worried.

"I'm so goddamn worried about all of you," Freddy continues. "I want us to remain as a family, and I know that won't be a reality if this place gets remodeled."

"Freddy, you could spin those plans any way you want to. Maybe they're remodeling this place for another Fazbear's Pizzeria. You never know, plans change. Right now they could be looking at other possible buildings to create their business."

"I'm sure that they were set on rebuilding here," Freddy mumbles. "They sounded quite serious while they were talking."

"How do you know what they were saying?" Mike asks irritably.

"I have excellent hearing."

"So?"

"I heard exactly what they were saying!"

"That doesn't mean anything. We can't assume things when they've been here for only one day. If they return tomorrow, then we'll have a better idea of what they're looking for."

"You won't be sticking your nose in it, either. Leave that to me," Freddy warns.

Shrugging off Freddy's hands, Mike says, "Whatever. Is that all you needed to tell me?"

Nodding, Freddy adds, "Please try to be cautious these next few days. We don't want anything out of the ordinary to happen. Already weird things have been happening to this place, and I don't want to add another incident to the list."

But Mike disregards those words, already strolling towards the hallway. His metal feet clink when he walks, his mind whirling at a brisk pace. Didn't Freddy know that whatever he tells Mike, he'll purposely do the opposite? Of course tomorrow he'll poke his nose into the plans for the rebuilding and the businessmen. And why did Freddy care so much after Mike had treated him like crap for the past four weeks? Shouldn't he hate him by now?

 _You might be acting all nice now, Freddy, but I remember when you pushed me into that suit like it happened yesterday. I'll always remember that you were the one that killed me and forced me into this life that I had never wanted. I'll escape from this place, and I'll escape from you._


	3. Part 3

Impatiently pacing alongside the window, Mike sighs at the desolate parking lot. If only something would appear. Yesterday they came around this time. Why aren't they here now? Counting in his head how many hours he has waited by this window, his ears twitch irritably. Six hours wasted. Well, not entirely. The whole time he was puttering around, waiting for something based upon uncertain hopes, he had chatted with Foxy. Also, being in the dining hall, they had a small competition on who could flip over the most tables in thirty seconds time. It was Mike's idea and Foxy went along with it like he was a genius.

Not that Foxy will figure it out, but it's step one in Mike's rebellion he has planned against Freddy. Slowly, he'll turn the animatronics into rebellious machines that will crave to leave the confines of these walls. _An animatronic army._

For now, all that Mike wants to witness is the parking lot suddenly filled with cars and Freddy's expression as he casually walks into the dining hall to the home of their mess.

Free of his tummy ache from yesterday, Foxy lounges comfortably on a rectangular table he had carried and placed beside the window. His weight strains the table, but he doesn't notice. A small grin is plastered on his face, from winning the table flipping competition or something entirely different. "Why ya be so restless today?"

A number of reasons, one being that Freddy hid the six packets of matches. Explaining that to Foxy won't be favorable, especially since he'll have to explain why Freddy had hid them in the first place. _Oh yeah, yesterday I burned myself intentionally and Freddy kinda found out. Now he doesn't trust me with matches in fear that I'll light myself on fire._

"I want to know what those people were up to yesterday," Mike explains, tapping his fingers against the windowsill. "But they aren't here yet, and I'm getting impatient. I hope they come, otherwise I'll be pissed."

"Hm! Smart plan that is. After they appear, do you want t'play somethin' fun? We could use our blankets and slide each other down t'hallways!"

Foxy doesn't understand why he needs to see these people, and it causes Mike to feel sorry for him. Does he honestly believe that he likes it here? That he would rather play games in these desolate hallways than soak up the sun's rays outside? Mike shakes the thought away; the thought of the sun depresses him. It's another thing he can't have, even the simple gift of warm sunlight. It's another reminder of Freddy's dictatorship on the pizzeria.

"Sure," Mike mutters quietly, glancing outside the window. He imagines a huge car pulling up and rich businessmen pour out. An image suddenly hits him, of Foxy pathetically staring out of the pizzeria window, watching Mike getting whisked away in an expensive car. _This_ _might be the last time I get to talk to Foxy, if they show up_. What will Foxy do once he's gone? "Who cleaned those hallways, anyways? They used to be unbearably gross," Mike asks, making an effort to chat.

"All o' us, mostly due t'the fact that it was becomin' a health hazard. Bonnie really hurt his leg when he tripped. It happened when we were, um, chasin' after ya. While ya were in t'closet, we all started cleaning t'place up." His voice turns quiet when he adds, "I thought that you would come out if everythin' was clean."

Mike refuses to look at Foxy, aware that if he does, he'll break down to these pitying emotions swirling inside of him.

Someone coughs and their heads swing from the window to the hallway. Smiling, Bonnie approaches the group with curiosity. Looking closely, Mike notices a slight limp in his leg. Another intense wave of pity floods him.

"Hi you two."

"Watcha want, Bon?" Foxy mumbles, rolling his eyes and glancing at Mike.

For some reason, this gesture irritates Mike. Ignoring them both, he stares out the window and wishes he can teleport away from this sickening environment.

"Nothing much. Was just wondering what you two were up to."

That's when Mike sees it. Three black cars pull in, all of them Escalades. Several men occupy the cars from what he can distinguish from the tilted windows. It's been many weeks since he's seen, nonetheless talked to, a human.

Bonnie and Foxy jump when Mike screeches with his pointer finger up against the glass, "They're here!" He's crowded by Foxy and Bonnie, their faces up against the glass. Their breath fogs the window as they watch the men leave their cars. One of the men looks like a construction worker, causing Mike to grin. _Freddy was right. They are going to tear this place down._

"Wow, look at them. I would love to drive that car," Bonnie whispers in awe, his eyes locked on the sleek, black cars. It's the first time Mike's seen Bonnie interested in something, other than capturing and stuffing him into a suit. 'Maybe it's his inner human trying to get free?'

"Dear God, you can drive?" Mike asks, wondering if Bonnie would join the rebellion if promised a car.

"He can't," Foxy finalizes, bouncing on his feet. He's excited to see them, too. "He likes t'pretend he can."

Out of the car and stretching, the rich men group up and unroll a large piece of paper. Continuously they point at the pizzeria, making motions with their hands and smiling at each other like someone told a hilarious joke. Watching these people, Mike feels a stab of jealousy and a strong longing to break the window and rush out of the pizzeria. He would hop inside their car that would ultimately whisk him away from this hellhole. Sure, Foxy and the others will be gloomy at his departure, but that doesn't matter. Soon, this place will be a bad memory and nothing else. _What matters is me getting my old life back, because I sure as hell hate this one._

Maybe, if the men noticed Mike, they would come closer and he could fully explain his bizarre situation to them.

"Remember, Freddy said t'keep on t'low," Foxy warns, his voice barely a whisper.

"I know," Bonnie agrees, lowering his head from the window and tucking his ears down so they're not visible from the outside.

Their act of submission is too much. "I need to get something," Mike suddenly announces, sluggishly backing away from the window. Before having a chance to leave, Bonnie touches his arm. His face looks conflicted. Mike would've asked him what was wrong, but he doesn't have the time. The men might be gone by then.

"Mike, I gotta ask you something."

Impatiently glancing out the window, Mike says, "Okay, tell me."

Bonnie's ears droop the tiniest bit, his large eyes downcast. "Oh. You sound like you're in a hurry. I'll ask you later when you have time to spare."

Mike can physically feel the guilt eating away at him. His actions were just like Foxy's, cruel and unnecessary. Bonnie isn't treated the best by the others, Mike knows for a fact. Thinking about it more, Chica isn't, either. Ignored, she's left to cook by herself in the kitchen. Also, it sounds like Foxy had no one to play with before Mike came.

How selfish it was for Freddy to force him to become a part of this sick and damaged family. "Are you sure? If it's not too long, then go ahead and tell me."

"Okay. This might seem out of the blue, but what's your honest opinion of me?"

"Hm." Head cocked, Mike wonders how to word it. All the while Bonnie nervously fiddles with his hands and Foxy keenly listens into their conversation. "You're very aware of other's feelings and try to make others happy. You're honest and, truthfully, helped me a lot when I was in the closet and refused to come out. You telling me the weather sounds simple when I was recovering, but it helped me get my mind off of other subjects. So, I would say that you're very kind and caring to start with."

"Really?" Bonnie grins, his ears happily perking upwards.

"Yep, and that's just to start with. And- Oh, that _bastard_!" Angrily storming up to the window with a surprised Bonnie following him, Mike fumes as he watches his supposedly "sick" manager in the middle of the group of men, talking to them animatedly. There isn't an ounce of sickness or weariness on his face.

"Sick my ass!" Mike spits out, clenching his fists. "That lying cheapskate!"

"He's back?" Bonnie whispers to himself, bewildered. Foxy stares out the window, eyes wide.

Here's his chance when they're distracted. Quietly, Mike slips away from them as they stare out the window, bewildered. Down the show stage he goes, watching for anything. Checking his internal radar to see where Freddy is, he comes up with the bear being quite away from where he is. The coast is clear, time to move. Tiptoeing down the hallway, Mike has a sudden flashback of running for his life with Bonnie and Foxy on his heels.

But that's a thing of the past, something he'll try to forget. There's a window by the guard's office, tiny and inconspicuous. When he's in front of it, staring hopefully outside, he breathes in deeply. Serenity enters him at what he's about to do. Is this going to be it, then? Will he have his freedom? The two men with their backs turned continue chatting while Mike stares at them wistfully. They're the closest ones to the window. _Time to get their attention._

Using his fists, Mike smashes them into the glass. The men immediately swing around, searching the area for the source of the loud noise. Cracks litter the glass with every bang. With every smash, Mike repeats in his head, _For my freedom! Family! My human life that he stole from me!_ Every crack, the hopeful smile on his face widens. The men seem to spot Mike and take off their dark shades, squinting at the window where's he's trapped at.

A pair of hands suddenly rip Mike from the window and smash him cruelly into the ground. "What the _hell_ are you doing?" Freddy hisses. Mike can only stare in complete horror at Freddy's eyes. They're pitch black with a small bright dot in the middle, completely evil looking. Freddy's beyond dealing with; his emotions are lost to the black thing inside of him. Hands shaking and teeth gritted, Freddy commands, "Don't make any more noises."

Regardless of Freddy's eyes, Mike can only feel hope. Maybe, there'll be a bang and glass will fall over him. A hand will reach out from the window, and he'll grab onto it. The hand will be his salvation.

Slowly peeking his head from under the window and glancing outside, Freddy mutters, "Shit," and immediately falls back onto the floor. His hands tighten around Mike's arm. The light in his eyes begin to grow bigger, as well as the shaking in his hands stop.

Due to Freddy's anger, Mike can't muster the courage to fight again and bang on the window. A minute passes, than another. Nothing happens. Behind his eyes, Mike can feel something falling apart, the hope disintegrating. Deep down he knows what's going to happen.

Silent minutes pass. Again, Freddy peeks out the window and sighs in relief. His eyes are completely free of darkness. He's back to his normal self.

This sigh causes Mike's eyes to itch and his mouth to curve into a frown.

"They're gone," Freddy announces, a smile creeping across his face.

There never was going to be a hand to save him. Slowly, Mike crawls off the floor and hopelessly stares out the window. The car is gone. His hope went with it, too. Making moves to get away from the terrible sight and from the monster in front of him, he's halted by Freddy's, "Don't even think about moving. We need to talk about what just happened."

 _No. I can't take this any more!_ Before Freddy can do anything, Mike's dashing away from the window and down the hallway. Past the stage where Foxy and Bonnie linger, not sparing them a glance as they stare at him curiously. At the moment, they don't matter.

"Mike! Ya playin' tag?" Foxy asks, leaping off the stage and following him with his eyes as he shoots across the littered dining hall, leaping over tables elegantly.

"Ooh, I want to play," Bonnie pipes in, leaping off the stage and standing by Foxy's side. He watches Freddy zoom past, oddly serious in a game of tag. Like Mike, he leaps over the tables effortlessly.

Bonnie's leg feels well enough to play something, and tag is one of his favorites. When he glances back at Foxy, his eyes turn gloomy at the fox's bitter expression.

"No you can't. Mike just wants me t'play with him, not you."

Immediately bristling at the words, Bonnie snarls, "You know what, Foxy? I am tired of this shit you say! 'You can't do this because I only want to play with Mike.' Get your ugly head out of your ass and see how unfair you're being to me! I can play with Mike whenever I want, and you can't stop me! Can't you see that Mike doesn't favor you over me?!"

Foxy's hook swiftly smashes into Bonnie's face and the rabbit screams, falling to the floor in surprise. The two stare at each other for a moment, Bonnie cradling his throbbing cheek and quickly getting back on his feet while Foxy slowly shakes his head, shocked at what he had just done.

"I'm sorry-" His words are cut short by Bonnie decking him in the face.

"How could you?" Bonnie roars, kicking out at Foxy's stomach. "Do you think you're able to get away with hitting me?"

Snarling, Foxy tackles Bonnie to the floor and gasps painfully when Bonnie knees him in the stomach. In return, Foxy bites into Bonnie's arm, crunching through the tough metal.

"STOP!"

The two boys immediately pause their altercation and spot Chica tearfully watching them. They comply when she gets between them and pushes them away from each other. "I thought we were family," she sobs quietly, glancing between Bonnie's roughed up face and bitten arm, then to Foxy's ripped fur and damaged stomach. "Family never hurts each other. You two are terrible!"

Bonnie's sobs mix in with Chica's while Foxy sniffles and looks away.

"What have we come to? To hurting each other?" Chica whispers before sinking to the floor, her hand covering her mouth. The first fight she's ever seen in the pizzeria, and she doubts it'll be the last. Squeezing her eyes shut, she says to the ground, "What does this mean for us? Is our family falling apart?"

On the other side of the pizzeria, Mike's come to the conclusion that the only way he's going to get out of this situation unharmed physically and emotionally is by taking a fleeting chance. The main door's in front of him, promising a sweet escape. Out of the corner of his eye, Mike spots Freddy catching up. Since Mike's legs are longer, he hasn't fallen to Freddy yet.

 _I'm human,_ Mike thinks, squinting at the glass door in concentration. _Please, let me out. Allow me to go home._ His arms push the door open and his leg passes through the doorway.

"Stop!" Freddy bellows, but it's too late.

Instantly, Mike feels something inside of his chest warm as both of his feet leave the pizzeria. A second later, an invisible force plows into his stomach, throwing him into the air, sailing him past a horrified Freddy and smashing him into the wall. Something makes a cracking noise. Instantly, Mike feels panicked when his arms and legs refuse to respond and the sudden pain in his back.

"Oh God, Mike, what have you done?" Freddy's voice trembles as he falls beside Mike, the anger previously lurked in his voice now gone. "Can you move?"

Mike wants to tell him that his back hurts considerably, but his mouth won't move. Freddy's hand touches the back of his neck, then onto his back, feeling for something. That's when Mike lets out a small scream at the lick of pain when Freddy touches something on his back. His vision turns blurry, Freddy melting with the background of the pizzeria's ceiling.

"Chica! Get over here, now!" Freddy bellows, holding Mike's head and back.

Appearing from the corner a few seconds later, Chica's eyes widen at the sight of Mike lying on the ground. When she's beside Freddy, she cries, "They ripped each other apart."

"This is more important! His endoskeleton spine is broken. I'll need your help if we want to fix him."

"We really are," Chica whispers to herself, earning a curious glance from Freddy.

 _Fix me? Shouldn't I be dead if my spine is broken?_ Still crying, Chica holds Mike's head and stares into his eyes, expression heartbroken. Mike wants to die when he feels Freddy move him onto his side and cuts through the back of his suit.

"I know they were fighting over you," Chica says, voice barely a whisper. "You do odd things to us, Mike. All of us want to be close to you. I think they both want to be your favorite. I'm not for sure, it's just a guess. But they're my brothers and I know them well." Sniffling, she strokes Mike's ears. "Your ears are so soft. I wish I had ears."

"Chica, it looks bad. Stay where you are while I fix this. Make sure he doesn't close his eyes," Freddy shakily commands.

There she remains, watching over the broken animatronic while Freddy's hands are in Mike's body, desperately trying to keep him alive.

 _I'll leave this place if I close my eyes._ All of the sudden, death doesn't seem all that scary. When his eyes start to shut, Chica slaps his cheeks.

"Don't you dare!" she screeches.

"It's almost fixed. Keep them open!" Freddy yells.

"I can't!"

"No, no, my precious boy, don't die." Pulling his hands out of the suit, he forces Mike's eyes to open. All the while Chica watches everything, her hands shaking.

"Focus on me and my voice. Don't fall to the darkness. Think of how young you are and how much you need to accomplish. Life is a gift; you're too young to throw it away."

 _You hypocrite! You were the one that killed me!_ Mike wants to scream. But it doesn't matter, because his focus is disappearing. He can't distinguish Freddy from the colors blurring his vision. He doesn't care if he dies a wimp. Getting out of here is his mission, his goal, no matter how he does it.

"Why isn't it working?" Freddy whispers. Chica covers her face. When Freddy doesn't know what's going on, there's not much hope for success.

The only other way to keep Mike alive is something Freddy doesn't want to do. His hands find their way into his mouth. Digging his fingers in the sensitive part of his still healing mouth, Mike's eyes widen and he fidgets in pain.

Freddy knows it takes years for the mouth to fully heal. He knows this well, and he suddenly remembers when _they_ would cruelly shove sharp objects into his own mouth when his system was locked up just for the fun of it. _They_ would laugh when Freddy would eventually become unconscious due to the overwhelming pain. It hurt more than fire, that's for sure.

"Keep them open." Removing his hands, Freddy examines Mike's back. Relief hits him when he spots the healed cut, as if it was never impaled in the first place.

At once, Mike twitches and a scream rips through his mouth. His arm covers his face as he sobs, his body curled up around himself protectively.

"Shh. You're all better now," Freddy soothes.

Chica throws her arms around Mike, holding onto him tightly. "I thought you were going to die!" she cries into his shoulder.

"How did you..." Mike pauses when his insides lurch. "How did you cut me open? I thought only fire could physically hurt my suit."

Freddy stares down at the man, conflicted emotions passing over his face. "The only thing other than fire that can hurt us is our own kind."

Mike takes this information and stores it inside his brain for later. Somehow, he knows that what Freddy just said will come to greater use in the future.

It's Freddy that picks Mike up and carries him to the stage area. Bonnie and Foxy, apparently already on good terms with each other, hobble next to Freddy as he places Mike into his bed.

"He sure is trouble," Bonnie whispers, staring at Mike with uncovered awe.

"But he's showin' who he really is," Foxy grins. "He's bein' himself, and that's all that matters."

Watching Mike turn away from them and stare at the wall, Chica nervously says to Freddy, "I'm scared."

"About what?"

"I don't know. I think that something's changed, but I don't know what."

"It's probably just in your head." Turning to Mike, Freddy pats his head softly. "Get some sleep, Mike. Your mouth will heal faster if you take it easy."

They leave quietly, all of them to who knows where.

Replaying the last hour in his head, Mike flips onto his back. Silence. _What am I doing, resting and following Freddy's orders?_ At first he doesn't know where he's going or where his body wants to take him until he's in front of the window, staring outside at the empty parking lot and large sun. The sunlight pours into the room, strong and bright.

His eyes widen when he sees something hidden, a small pencil-like object in the window frame. Pulling it upwards, he winces when a screech follows. It hasn't been used for some time. Slowly pulling it out then up, his heart races when the window starts to creak open. He does this until the window's fully open, letting the sunlight in, pure and untainted by the pizzeria.

Breathing in the fresh air, Mike feels the darkness in his chest lift. The sun washes away the depressing emotions inside of him away. The sun reminds him of what he's striving for. That in death, there won't be a sun. That he'll have to figure out some other way to leave this place without dying, to giving into the darkness, as Freddy put it.

Mike cautiously sticks his hand out of the window, smiling when heat doesn't combust in his chest. See, he's already found ways around the system. _I'll make it a game,_ he thinks. _I'll find ways to trick this place. I also still have many questions that need to be answered. Why did my manager send me here when he more than likely knew something was going on? How does the spirit inside of the pizzeria and now inside of me work? How did I defy death and reincarnate as an animatronic?_

There's still hope left. It was always there, just like the sun. All Mike has to do is let it in, like letting in a breath of fresh air. He won't fall to the pizzeria, not ever, because as long as the window can open and he can feel this refreshing breeze, he knows he can somehow win against Freddy and free the others from this horrifying existence.


	4. Part 4

**A/N: Firstly, I'd like to thank everyone who's been reading up to this point. I really appreciate it. Secondly, I've found the perfect song to describe the animatronics' possessive feelings towards Mike. It's the song Daydreamin' by Ariana Grande. Anyways, hope you enjoy!**

It's nighttime. Foxy's moved his blankets back into his cove, irritated by Bonnie's loud snoring. Freddy's in the guard's office, running his paw over the desk, reminiscing over the past. Chica's dozing at a table in the kitchen, her dreams full of preparing the world's largest pizza and being recognized as the best cook in the world. As for Bonnie, he's sleeping heavily in his bed on the main stage. Like an overgrown kid, his feet peek out of the ends of the blanket.

Discontinuing using his inner spirit to track the others, Mike finds his way to the window. Cracking it open, he feels the cool breeze rush through his ears. Crickets chirp and the faint sound of music beats through the night. _Wouldn't it be simple to call out in the middle of the night and gather someone's attention? They could help save me._ "What am I thinking, it won't work," he mumbles.

After a few failed attempts from previous days, he had figured out a hypothesis. Not reliable, but something that could be possible. Due to the pizzeria's 'supernatural powers', it could allow sound into the pizzeria, but no sound could leave the walls. So if Mike suddenly started screaming, no one outside would hear him. _But why did those men hear me bang on the window?_ That's something that stumped Mike, and no matter how much he thought about it, he couldn't understand. Too many questions make Mike's head spin, so he decided not to dwell on the unknown. Maybe the others will time him all the secrets of this place in due time.

It's surprising that the window's still his little secret. Faz being as nosy as he is, Mike was positive that he would eventually find out and glue the window shut. What Freddy doesn't know is that all of the windows can open and Mike's capable of tearing through hardened glue.

Yawning, he lays his head on the window and shuts his eyes. His ears make a nice pillow, and he snuggles into them comfortably.

Something akin to the sound of fireworks suddenly explodes outside, causing Mike's sensitive ears to twitch. Bonnie continues snoring, unaffected by the bomb-like sounds coming from outside. Bringing his eyes to the window, Mike smiles. It is fireworks. Colorful and bright, they explode in the sky, sending beads of bright lights to the ground. Some of them crackle and glitter while other simply explode as a circle. Those ones are loud, but Mike refrains from covering his ears. It may be the last time he sees fireworks.

It brings back memories of when he was a kid. His mother brought him to this park where they camped out until it became dark. By then Mike was mosquito bitten and not in the best of moods. "Go home!" he complained, but his mother ignored him. Being a huge stinker that he was (and still is), he purposely acted like a brat and played in the dirt, ruining his white shirt. But when those fireworks started going off, Mike was staring up at the sky with the biggest of smiles, safe and sound in his mother's lap. Since then, he's always loved fireworks.

A huge snoring sound rips Mike's gaze away from the window to Bonnie. The bunny jolts awake and glances around the room in surprise. "Was that me?" he whispers to Mike, pulling off his blankets.

"Yeah, you woke yourself up from it," Mike laughs. In his heart, he knows that Bonnie won't tell anyone about the window. _At least I was cautious._

"Everyone snores," Bonnie mumbles defensively, standing and stretching. The metal in his body strains and whines as he stretches his arms out in front of himself.

"Come over here and see this. It's amazing," Mike urges, motioning to the empty chair parallel to him.

Approaching the window, Bonnie yelps when another firework explodes. His eyes watch the beads of light fall to the ground with horror. "FIRE! We need to get the others!"

"Oh no you don't." Before Bonnie can run, Mike grabs him around the waist, tackling him to the ground. Their bodies crash onto the floor of the show stage, Mike siting on top of Bonnie's waist.

"It's fire," Bonnie breathes out raggedly, eyes frightened. His body doesn't move and Mike suspects that he's scared crapless of the orange flame. _Shows how different we are. I crave that flame while he's terrified of it._

"It's harmless," he explains, loosening his grip. Looking down on him, Mike can't feel any sort of urge to hurt him. All of it's saved for Freddy, that's for sure. "They're pretty lights and nothing else."

"Oh." Embarrassed, Bonnie rubs the back of his neck. "Sorry."

"That's fine. It's good to be cautious." Getting up, Mike motions for Bonnie to sit in the empty chair next to him. Both crowded around the window, they watch the fireworks in silence.

At first Bonnie winces as the fireworks light up the sky, but soon enough he becomes transfixed with the pretty lights. He soon smiles whenever a firework explodes. A gust of wind hits him in the face and he examines the window, suddenly interested in the brown frame. "I didn't know this was open, or that it could open."

"I thought so, too." Mike points to the lever. "If you pull this out, the window will open. The fresh air feels nice, doesn't it?"

"Yes," Bonnie moans, sticking his head out of the window. He's blocking Mike's view, but he knows that Bonnie's enjoying himself. _Probably for the first time in forever._ "I love it."

If he loves it, then why hasn't he attempted or shown any interest to escape? "Don't you miss this?" Mike motions to the breeze and the swaying trees across the parking lot. "Being outside and exploring?"

"I don't know," Bonnie admits quietly, removing his head from the window and leaning back in his chair. "Even if I wanted to, I couldn't leave."

"Why not?" Mike snaps, imagining Freddy chaining Bonnie to a post like a dog. "Is it because of Freddy?"

"No!" Crosses his arms, Bonnie sighs. "What do you have against Freddy, other than him stuffing you into a suit? He's been nothing but kind to you and it's irritating to see you two fight so often."

Sitting up in his seat, Mike clears his throat as if giving a huge speech. "I'll tell you every reason on why I hate Freddy. It's a long list, so be ready to stay here for a couple of hours. First off, he stuffed me into a suit, is weirdly protective of me, which isn't even needed because I'm stuck here for God's sake, it's not like someone's going to break in and kidnap me, he doesn't let me do anything that he thinks I'll 'misuse'-"

"But that's just Freddy," Bonnie interrupts, the fireworks illuminating his body a light green color. "He was the same way with us."

"I doubt it." Leaning back in his chair, Mike bites his cheek. "I wish he'd just die," he whispers to himself.

Bonnie leaps into his feet, face deadly. Squeaking, Mike squishes himself into his chair. "Don't you _ever_ say that again," he growls, pronouncing every word with menace.

"Alright! Fine." There isn't a chance he's going to snap back at Bonnie when he's towering over him. _But this is good info. Bonnie has another side to him other than his usual 'calm' persona. It's quite scary, I can admit._

Sitting back down, Bonnie clenches his fists while he stares into Mike's face. "I know you aren't the best of friends with Freddy, but you don't know why he's like the way he is. You don't understand what he's been through. There's a reason why he's so protective of us, especially you." Eyes pained, he stares out the window. "He told me everything that happened to him in the past. I was the first one, since I can generally handle grueling stories. I was shocked at what he said."

"The end doesn't justify the means," Mike snaps. "He forced me into this life, end of story. Don't give me that, 'Feel sorry for Freddy' bullcrap."

"I'm not! I just wish you would give him a chance, that's all. Maybe look through his perspective and you'll understand."

"I refuse to put myself in that creep's shoes," Mike snorts.

Bonnie's about to say something when they both hear a distinct shuffle of someone moving through grass. Looking at each other, Mike mouths, _Did you hear that?_

Nodding, Bonnie makes a shushing motions toward Mike and slowly sticks his head out of the window. Snapping his head back inside, eyes wide, he mutters, "It's the manager."

"No way in hell!" Mike practically leaps out of his seat and throws his head out the window. Lo and behold, his manager's staggering alongside the pizzeria. His black hair is pulled back while the rings on his stained fingers gleam. He's about ten feet away from the window where they're crowded around at.

Oddly, he doesn't seem drunk. Having experience working at fast food jobs, Mike can identify those staggering steps being due to lack of sleep. 'Is he sleepwalking?' Well, Mike's surely not going to let this chance slip past him. "Bonnie, I'm going to need your help. We're going to pull this bastard inside. I need some answers."

"I don't think Freddy would approve of that." Rolling his eyes at Mike's deadly look, he mutters, "Fine, I'll help. I want to ask him a few questions, too."

They wait until he staggers in front of the window. His face is greasy looking, same with his long hair. The only way to not identify him as a homeless person is the black suit he's wearing.

"Now!"

Both Bonnie and Mike rip the man of his feet and throw him into the pizzeria. He lands on the floor with a loud crash. The only sound the manager gets out is a terrified yelp before Bonnie clamps a paw over the man's face. If the man would've struggled, Mike would've leaped in and restrained him, but the man seems too shocked to move.

"He actually looks better like that," Mike laughs, his face up close to the manager's. "Your paw is more attractive than his face. Not that I'm into guys, but hell, I know an ugly guy when I see one."

Shuddering, Bonnie says, "His face is unnaturally greasy. I feel unclean."

"Here, I'll take him. Remove your paw and I'll cover his mouth. The way you're doing it, he isn't able to breathe."

Following Mike's orders, Bonnie removes his paw. At once the manager struggles, thinking he can escape, but Mike smashes his hand onto the man's mouth, possibly cracking a few teeth in the process.

"We need to move somewhere else to do this," Bonnie whispers, examining the human. "If we don't, Freddy will find out."

"Where should we go? What the- his face is greasy. We need to move _now_! I can't stand this! It's nasty!"

Chuckling, Bonnie leads them down the stage and to the the parts and repair room. When Mike sees the room, his breath clogs in his throat. Why is he getting affected now? The man struggles like a fish in his arms uselessly.

"You okay?" Bonnie asks, opening the door.

"Yeah, just remembering something." At Bonnie's look, Mike knows that he understands.

Both entering the room, Bonnie shuts the door behind them. Immediately letting go of the manager, Mike wipes his hands on a spare blanket nearby. 'I'll burn the blanket after this. It's officially tainted with that disgusting man's grease.'

Knowing that a struggle would pursue, Bonnie stands menacingly in front of the shut doorway, his arms crossed. He resembles a bodyguard, and all he needs is a nice suit to complete the tough look.

"Let me through!" the manager rasps, glaring up at the rabbit. His shaking legs give away his timidness. "I haven't done anything!"

"Oh yes you have, you douche." The manager glances behind and shivers when he sees Mike's illuminating brown eyes and twitching jaw. "Do you know how angry I am at you for bringing me back here? That I want to see you dead? I would kill you if I could, but that involves touching you. I wouldn't want to contaminate anything with your nastiness." Even though he says he'll kill, Mike knows that the only one he can actually kill is Freddy. He doesn't hold much anger towards the manager compared to the bear. If anything, he'll ask Bonnie to kill the manager for him.

The manager has the nerve to laugh. "Mike? Is that _you_? God, what a mess you are! I couldn't even tell it was you."

If the man wasn't nasty, Mike would've slammed him up against the wall and decked him in the face. "No shit, Sherlock! I was stuffed into a goddamn suit!"

"Your voice is very different," the manager smiles creepily. "It's all robotic. You aren't human anymore."

"I wouldn't laugh like it's some huge joke," Mike grits through his teeth, towering over the man. "You're going to give us some answers tonight, whether you want to or not, or I'll personally make this night a living hell for you. Here's the first question, and answer it honestly. Why were you such a douche bag and made me come back here to retrieve that 'item' when you knew I was going to die?"

"It's a multitude of things, you freak," the manager murmurs, throwing a glance between the two monsters containing him in the room.

"Shut up," Bonnie snaps, eyes narrowed. "You're starting to piss me off."

The manager has the decency to cower once again. _What a rat._ "Answer my question or I'll rip your arms off."

"If I tell you, you can't hurt me,"

"I can't promise you that." Something shiny on his suit makes Mike squint his eyes. A name tag. "Answer me now, Carl, and you might leave this place unscathed."

"Fine." Throwing a nervous glance at Bonnie, Carl quickly turns back to Mike. "I'll have to start in the beginning if this is going to make any sense. That beginning is when you, Mike, entered this pizzeria for a job interview." Suddenly, Carl coughs loudly and his body shakes.

"At least cover your mouth, you chimney," Mike snaps, staring at the man's tobacco stained hands. Internally, he earns brownie points from Bonnie's attempts at hiding his grin.

When he's done coughing, he clears his throat. "After that interview, nothing seemed out of the normal. I went about my daily functions. At nightfall, I locked the place down and went home. That next day, though." He shakily wipes his forehead. "The animatronics were very rambunctious. They couldn't keep still for a moment. They were, how do I put it, _excited._ Those next six days were the same. That seventh day, though, their attitude took a plunge. It was freaky."

"The day I left. Sounds about right?" Mike asks Bonnie, receiving a short nod in reply. "Continue."

"The weeks that continued were hell. I could talk to the animatronics, mind you, and they voiced their opinions of you, Mike. They said they wanted you back and to become a part of their family. I don't know why, so don't ask me for that explanation. When I told Freddy no, I swear he almost killed me."

"Sounds like him," Mike mutters.

"This weird wish that they had wouldn't come true, and I think they knew it. I guess they lost hope, and this affected their mood drastically. They became aggressive towards me and the parents. They were still friendly with the kids, like always. Fast forward to the last day the pizzeria was open, there were only two families throughout the day. The animatronics' attitude was killing the business. At that point, I knew that the pizzeria could not stay afloat any longer. There wasn't a chance that I could've sustained on that small amount of income."

"How do I play into this if you closed the place down?" Mike asks.

"That's the thing." Coughing sharply, the man wipes his mouth with the sleeve of his suit. "That day I definitely decided to close the place down was because Freddy came up next to me when the families had left and said, "If Mike doesn't walk through those doors next, we'll kill you." After that, I left the place for good. Or so I thought. Every day at home, I'd feel this weird presence lingering around me, like a spirit. I suddenly fell sick out of nowhere and was convinced it was because of that spirit. When I called you, I was at my wits end. I knew that the pizzeria had something to do with my illness."

"Don't tell me what I think you're about to."

"When I suddenly got better, I knew that you had entered that pizzeria and became one of them. I was finally free, I thought."

"So what you're trying to say is that you sent me here to die so you could save yourself?"

Smiling, Carl says cheekily, "I guess you could say that."

A cracking sound snaps throughout the room as Mike slaps the man across the face, for a second forgetting about being contaminated. "Bastard. Don't tempt me to kill you."

"Why did you return if the spirit left you?" Bonnie pipes up, cocking his head. "You were free."

 _I think Bonnie is my key to getting out of here. He knows what's going on about this 'spirit'._

The cracks of fireworks are audible as the room falls into silence. The manager opens his mouth to answer, cough, or God knows what, but suddenly gasps. "I can feel them choking me!" Grabbing his neck, he cries out and wheezes.

"You dumbass!" Mike laughs. "I know you're choking yourself. Stop trying to get yourself out of this and answer our questions."

"I don't think he's faking," Bonnie admits, examining Carl carefully. "His hands aren't around his neck. They're trying to rip something off."

They both jump when the manager hisses in a different voice other than his own, **"You'll never leave this place.** **"** He stares straight up at Mike, his eyes black.

"What the hell?" Slapping Carl in the face, his head cracks to the side. Worry bubbles up in Mike when Carl sluggishly looks back up at him, his eyes still containing that evil-like presence. "Stop talking gibberish."

 **"Mike... you'll never leave. We'll make sure of it."**

"STOP IT!" This slap, Mike uses his strength and screams when Carl's head rips awkwardly to the left. His body doesn't move at all, just his head. Like he's a stone statue. Blood leaks down the side of the rip, soaking the top of his suit.

Immediately, Carl's eyes become normal again and he lets out a scream. "My neck! What did you do to my neck?!"

"Answer the question!" Mike screams. "Why did you return?!"

"You murderers!" Carl rams into Bonnie and hollers when he's thrown onto the ground. "Bonnie, let me go always I'll tell Mike what happened!" At Bonnie's look of horror, he laughs crazily. "I'll do it! Mike, Bonnie-"

When Bonnie's foot connects with Carl's head, there's a nasty tearing sound. The head flies and hits the wall, sticking onto it like glue. His hair swings lifelessly while blood drips down the wall.

Mike can't tear his eyes away from the disgusting sight, and when he finally does, it's directed towards Bonnie. "You killed him. He was going to tell us something important, and you killed him."

Nervously shuffling his feet, Bonnie whispers, "I knew what he was going to say, and I couldn't allow him to say it. I knew you would think differently of me if he told you. It happened a long time ago, and Freddy already forgave me. That's all that matters."

"What matters is that you killed Carl!" Mike shouts, angrily tearing at his ears. "He had so much information, and now he's dead! We can't revive him, can we?"

"Mike," Bonnie whispers quietly. His ears are lowered in shame. If Mike wasn't mad, he would feel bad at the expression on Bonnie's face. "Everything's going to be-"

"Don't you dare say it," Mike interrupts, storming around the room, kicking tables and smashing his fist into anything breakable. When face to face with the head, Mike can feel something in him snap and a sob breaks through his throat. "I'll never be fine as long as I'm stuck here. I don't know how much longer I can last in this place."

Not knowing how to comfort him, Bonnie continues watching him, afraid that he might hurt himself.

"I am so sick of you guys trying to make this all a smaller deal than what it really is. 'Oh, we just wanted to make you a part of our screwed up family and protect you from the world!' Bullcrap! Stop trying to convince yourselves that I love this new life, because I don't and I never will! I hate this stupid pizzeria, and I hate Freddy so much that I constantly dream about setting him on fire and watching him melt into a puddle!" Kicking the oak table that he was murdered on, Mike storms past Bonnie, rips open the door, and stomps out.

Following him, Bonnie watches Mike retreat onto the main stage. He starts to run when he sees Mike collapse into the chair by the window. Beside him, Bonnie pats Mike's trembling back.

It's quite some time before Mike looks up from the ground and mutters, "Bon, I'm sorry. I know it's not your fault. I'm just overwhelmed by Carl's death and everything else going on."

Sitting in the chair parallel to him, Bonnie tries to smile. "I'm happy that you aren't mad at me."

"I'm not. I just have issues with anger. Sometimes, I can't control it or who gets affected by it."

"I understand. When I was human, I had issues similar to yours." Bonnie can't help but grin when Mike stares at him with curiosity. "I was angry constantly. Isn't it weird that I found peace when I was given new life? After Freddy changed me into what I am now, I almost never feel anger."

"Well, you are technically dead..." Mike trails off, laughing along with Bonnie. Not that it's particularly funny, but relief and laughter is welcoming after something truly tragic happened. "I'm kidding. We're alive somehow, I don't now how. I don't know anything about this pizzeria, about you guys, and about this 'spirit.'"

A multitude of fireworks suddenly explode. "It's the finale," Mike awes, staring out the window. With him, Bonnie watches the fireworks. Both of their ears perk when the last firework explodes, the loudest one of all.

"Ouch! That one hurt." Rubbing his ears, Mike sighs at the empty sky. The night can make strange things happen. "This is going to sound strange, but I'm going to say it. Also, don't tell Foxy, he'll more than likely get offended."

"Alright?"

"I feel the closest to you in this place. I feel like I can trust you." Playfully smacking Bonnie's arm, Mike starts to close the window.

"Really?"

"Why are you surprised?" Clinking the lever back in place, Mike walks over to his bed. Following him and in shock, Bonnie stands over his bed, not sure how to express this sudden joy and excitement. "Oh shit, Freddy's coming. Hide!"

Without thinking, Bonnie dives into his bed and hides under the blankets. They both hear Freddy enter the dining hall and Mike has to shove a part of a blanket into his mouth to muffle the laughter threatening to spill out.

When Freddy leaves, Mike throws the blankets off of himself. "That was weird. Faz walked in, didn't do anything for five minutes, then walked out. I should've threw something at him if he was going to stand so still. He'd be our dartboard."

"How rude." But a small snicker from Bonnie shows his true feelings on the thought.

Yawning, Mike cuddles up in his bed. It's strange to think that in the last thirty minutes he saw a firework show, captured a man, heard him explain what was going on, watched him get murdered, and go through a small rage. "Bonnie, could you tell me about what's going on around here? I want to know more about this 'spirit'." _That's what's keeping me in, after all. We're friends, Bonnie, no doubt unusual and strange friends, but friends nonetheless. If you can help me, we'll be out of here in no time. Maybe, we can kill Freddy along the way, too._

"Okay." Bonnie sits up in his bed, glancing at the clock. "But it's a long story. Can you sit and wait?"

Nodding, Mike crawls over to Bonnie's side. He'll wait forever to hear this information, because he knows that it's his ticket out. Actually, it's more like a four ticket ride, because he isn't allowing Chica, Foxy, or Bonnie to stay here and rot alongside Freddy. They'll go along with him, and they'll start over with their lives. They defied death by reincarnating, which means that anything is possible. _Of course I'll escape from here,_ Mike thinks, watching Bonnie arrange his blankets into a more comfortable position. _Everything will make sense after Bonnie tells me, I know it will._

"I'm ready."


	5. Part 5

A light rain begins to fall as Bonnie takes a deep breath. Crisscrossing his long legs, Mike waits patiently for him to say something. _Should I have asked him this? He doesn't seem comfortable._

"From the start, I suppose," Bonnie sighs. "The 'spirit' contains the least disgusting stories, so I'll explain that first. Many years back, this pizzeria only had one animatronic. It was called Golden Freddy."

"Wait," Mike interrupts, holding a paw up in a halting motion. "I'm in a yellow suit. Am I Golden Freddy?"

"No." Shaking his head, Bonnie reassures the horrified statement with, "You're in the Springtrap suit. It's not a suit with the greatest history, but I'll explain that next. Back to Golden Freddy, he was an animatronic. The location where he originally roamed at was in an older version of Freddy Fazbear's Pizzeria. As his name suggests, he was completely gold in color. The difference between him and us is that he was completely programmed. There wasn't an option of free roam or free speech in his system. Basically, he was only a mindless robot. He couldn't do anything special like we can. You're getting everything so far?"

"Yep," Mike nods, his ears accidentally touching Bonnie's. Snapping them upwards, Mike looks away and pretends nothing happened.

"Good." Giving Mike a confused look, Bonnie continues, "While the place was running, a kid was unexpectedly murdered in the back room. He was lured there by an employee wearing the Springtrap suit."

Choosing not to comment, Mike uncomfortably glances at the ground. _I'm possessing a suit that a murderer wore._

"What happened was that the kid's spirit, after he died, went into the Golden Freddy suit. That was the starting point of the pizzeria's 'spirit'. Kind of like building up a tower, each of our deaths and reincarnations built up the pizzeria's spirit to what it is today. It is shared by all of us. A simpler way to explain it is by viewing the spirit as- what do you call it, wifi? Or ICloud? One of those. All of our information is stored there and everything about us, from what we enjoy eating to how we look. Even though we posses and are a part of this spirit, we cannot view or control any of it. Only Freddy and Golden Freddy can because, well, they're different. When they were murdered, they died due to selfish motives, which affected their portion of the spirit."

Before Mike can start arguing, Bonnie explains, "They were murdered by cruel people, tortured, and taunted as they were dying. You, Chica, Foxy, and I were killed due to unselfish reasons, for hope of a better life. Because we were reincarnated for greater purposes, we cannot control the spirit, nor have the spirit's powers. Doesn't make much sense, but that's how it works."

 _Freddy killed me for selfish reasons,_ Mike thinks coldly. _He wanted me as a person, which sounds creepy as hell, not for me to have a better life._

"Golden Freddy still lingers in this place, and I've talked to him myself." Covering his mouth, Bonnie says through his yawn, "Kinda off, but a humorous guy. Anyways, the difficult part to understand about all of this is that the spirit is, well, essentially us. It's our hopes and dreams, but it's more than that. It can feel our emotions, know what we're thinking and what we desire. The ones that control it have that power, too."

"How?"

"Well," Bonnie ponders, his head cocked. "The spirit is omnipotent. Think of something that's there and watches everything happen. It's only throughout the pizzeria, which we originally thought, but that was proven wrong by the Carl incident. Carl was being haunted by the spirit because Freddy trained it onto him. Being the one closest to Golden Freddy, and being basically related to him through the history of their suits, Freddy holds the most power of the spirit. He's the only one, besides Golden Freddy, that can target something, or someone, outside of the pizzeria. And since we all wanted you back, especially Freddy, the spirit's aura was very powerful. Remember, the spirit is made out of all of us, and when everyone's on board for something, that power is very destructible. That's why Carl fell into a serious illness, because the power of the spirit was very strong. Once you returned to us, the spirit stopped haunting Carl because we got what we desired."

"Which is me," Mike mutters. The way that Bonnie put it made it sound so creepy, like he was their lost puppy.

"Yep," Bonnie smiles, glancing at him. "We really did miss you."

Wanting to change topics, Mike asks, "So if I suddenly desired something, I could get it?"

"It depends on the situation. You know that Freddy and Golden Freddy can control the spirit, but they can't force the spirit to satisfy a wish. So, if you're sitting and you suddenly wanted something, the spirit wouldn't allow you to have it, because it will deem you lazy. You at least have to put an effort into getting what you desire, and that's when the spirit will help you. When you're in dire need or using your best efforts to get what you want but aren't succeeding in getting it, the spirit will more than likely satisfy your wish because it deems you worthy of getting an award. But, if your wish is far-fetched and going against the pizzeria's rules, it won't help you nearly as much as it could. Now, since Freddy can control this, he can attempt to satisfy his wishes whenever he wants, but sometimes the spirit will ignore his wishes."

"I don't even want to know what he wishes for," Mike frowns, making a puking motion.

"Not that stuff!" Whacking Mike's arm, Bonnie hears the tip-tap of the rain outside, and the sound calms him. "But isn't it funny that he can hear our wishes, thoughts, and feelings because he can control the spirit?"

"That's not funny, it's weird," Mike mutters, wondering if Freddy's seen the images playing over in his head. Most of them involve Freddy burning, drowning, and several other scenarios leading to his death.

He knows that Bonnie wouldn't lie to him, but everything he's been saying has been coming across as unreal. But, if Mike's reincarnation doesn't say anything about the mysteries of the place, then he doesn't know what. _Wait, after I was murdered, Freddy made a comment about me being lonely and my father hating me. Is that what Bonnie's talking about? Shit, did Freddy look through my whole past?_ "So, he's seen everything that's happened to me in the past?"

"I think so, but I'm not sure."

Internally dying of embarrassment, Mike covers himself with blankets, wanting to suffocate.

"Anyways," Bonnie says, shuffling the blankets around his body. "Here's another example of the spirit's mysterious powers. When you were running away from Freddy and stepped outside of the pizzeria, you were obviously wishing to leave. The reason why you weren't immediately affected by the boundary was because the spirit takes all of our wishes into account. Since you wished to leave and were making a great effort to do so, the 'spirit' fulfilled your wish, allowing you to leave the pizzeria."

"By about a foot," Mike mumbles.

"That's not supposed to happen, though. The number one rule of the spirit is that the feet of an animatronic are to never leave the boundaries of the building. The spirit allowed you to leave the tiniest bit because of your yearning. But here's the problem; we all want you to remain as a part of our family. All of us hold that wish so dearly to our chest, it's unbelievable for you to understand. So, it's one wish against the opposing four. Once the spirit gave you your wish, it had to give us ours because weren't we trying to get you back with all of our efforts? That's why you were slammed back into the wall with incredible force, because our wish was for you to stay here. Because all of us wanted that, the spirit's power was quadrupled."

"That makes sense." But what does that mean? Will he have to sway the others in not wanting him here for leaving to become a possibility? _Is that even possible?_

"Another one that I wasn't surprised to find out was from Freddy. He told me you were banging against the window and you got the attention of the workers outside. You let them hear you. Well, the spirit did. Freddy, being in control of the spirit, felt your yearning to get their attention. He can feel the spirit fulfilling a wish. The way he explained what it felt like was, 'It feels like a warm blooming feeling in my chest.' That's why he seeked you out, because he knew that your wish was being granted. We know your greatest wish is to leave, so Freddy knew that you were attempting to escape. Telling me this a few hours afterwards, I could tell he was still shaky about it. I've never seen him that way before. You actually freaked him out."

"Yeah, his eyes turned black on me," Mike admits.

Shivering, Bonnie whispers, "He's scary when that happens."

"You tell me! It was the first time I saw it, and I thought he was going to hurt me!"

"He'd never hurt you, Mike," Bonnie says. "He really-"

"No, no, no. Don't. Stop right there. I don't want to hear it."

Rolling his eyes, Bonnie checks the clock on the wall. "Okay, I'll explain a few other things-"

"Bonnie, I think that's enough."

Turning around, Mike spots Freddy watching them from the side of the stage, his arms crossed. His body's tense, like a statue. _How long was he there?_ Immediately, Bonnie closes his mouth.

"You can't tell him what not to say," Mike seethes, standing up. "We were just talking. Why do you always butt your head into everything I do? Are you jealous that I'm closer to him that I'd ever be with you?"

"I'm not jealous, merely curious. I don't want Bonnie telling you anything too personal."

At that response, Mike feels wrath course through him. Not the usual displeasure and irritation he feels for Freddy, but something more livid. _I hate you so much, Freddy. If you can hear me now, then know that if I ever get the chance, I will kill you mercilessly_.

Not sparing a glance at Freddy, Mike storms off the stage and stomps down to the kitchen. Slamming the door behind him, he leans his head against it and strains his ears. Bonnie's and Freddy's voices waft to him, but he can't distinguish what they're saying. _But I trust Bonnie. I know he won't say anything terrible about our conversation._

Glances at the sleeping frame, he approaches the table. "Chica?" Watching her sleep, he sits beside her and lays his head on the table. He longs to talk to someone, but it's hard to do so when they're asleep. Foxy would surely want to talk, but Mike doesn't want to go anywhere near Faz.

Darkness creeps around Mike as he sits, engulfing him. Hearing the sound of light rain, he suddenly feels a prickly feeling of _someone watching him_. Lifting up his head and nervously glancing around the room, Mike mutters to Chica, "I can't see a damn thing, so I hope you don't mind if I turn on the lights."

Flicking them on and returning to his spot at the table, he watches Chica snoozing. "I wish you were awake so we could do something. I'm not going to wake you up, either, because I'm not that big of a dick," he mumbles, not sure of who he's talking to, himself or Chica. "Foxy's fun to hang out with, but I don't want to see Faz when I go over to his cove. Bonnie's cool, too, but he's talking to the devil himself. You're awesome, but I can't hang out with you when you're sleeping." Yawning, he taps his fingers on the table. "I have absolutely nothing to do. I'm going to go crazy if this is going to be the rest of my life."

"Is that so?"

Spinning around in his chair at the unfamiliar voice, Mike looks up to meet the eyes of a golden bear. Everything about him is gold, from his suit to the color of his pupils. He had to be the one Bonnie described as being 'Golden Freddy', because if the gold was stripped off of this animatronic and replaced with brown, it would be Freddy standing in front of him. _Is there a reason why he appeared right after that conversation? But Bonnie did say that the spirit hears everything, so he must've heard our short-lived conversation._ And apparently, he teleported through the locked door. "Are you Golden Freddy?"

"Indeed I am," he states proudly, his large, golden irises friendly. Unexpectedly, his image flickers, then reappears on the other side of Chica's sleeping frame.

 _This is my chance to ask questions. This pizzeria's 'spirit' is right in front of me._ "From what I've heard, you know quite a bit about the pizzeria. Could you answer some of my questions, if you have the time?" Mike asks cordially, not sure how gentlemanly Golden Freddy is and if he would get offended by his blunt attitude. "I mean, you did appear right after that conversation Bonnie and I had about you and the pizzeria, and I'm betting you heard everything."

Smiling, Golden Freddy rests an elbow on the table and lays his cheek on it, observing Mike in a casual pose. "I did. I also heard that banter between you and Freddy. Wow, that was fun to watch. You're a lively boy is all I've got to say." Leaning in closer, his cheek almost touching Chica's, he murmurs, "I can see why the others are so interested in you. Your personality is so... how do I put it, refreshing. It's something different from the overall mood of this depressing place." At Mike's grimace, Golden Freddy chuckles. "I also know how you feel about them, particularly about Freddy, which is understandable. You're like a fireball trapped inside a metal cage. I'm the same way too, so I feel you."

When the spirit inside of Mike suddenly stings, he yelps, "Ouch!" and clutches his chest.

Nodding his head slowly, Golden Freddy stares off into space, his eyes concentrated. "Right now, you're feeling irritated that Freddy cut your conversation short and craving answers to your hundreds of questions." His eyes become normal again and he grins at Mike's shocked face. "Well, that's what I got from your part of the spirit, so I shouldn't be off."

"You're right," Mike gawks. "Can I do that? See other's emotions, since I have a part of the spirit inside of me?"

Shaking his head, Golden Freddy says, "Nope. Only Freddy and I can, since we're the originals of this place. We have special benefits, you could say."

Glancing at the door to make sure it's locked, Mike whispers, "That reminds me, there's so many questions I need answered. I don't fully understand this 'spirit', or how you and Freddy can know everything about us. If you can answer some of them, then I'll find a way to repay you somehow, I promise."

"Really?" the golden bear chuckles. "What if I want the same thing as you? Freedom from this place, I mean. Not the revenge. I'm over that."

 _This is great,_ Mike thinks, imagining Golden Freddy and himself in the front seat of his car, driving away from the pizzeria with Freddy running after them. Bonnie and the others would be in the back, singing along to the loud music as it pumps through the speakers. Freddy would scream for them to come back, running with all his might on his fat legs, and Mike would hold up his favorite finger out the window while turning up the music. Everyone would be laughing as they headed away from this hell on Earth. _If he wants to leave- but wait, if he wants to, then why hasn't he left yet? He's the original 'spirit', isn't he? Doesn't he have the power to leave?_

Eyes humorous, Golden Freddy admits, "Yes, I am the original spirit. I know everything about you, thus knowing what you crave. I can hear your thoughts, feel your raw emotions, and view every second of your past, the good and the bad. Why don't I leave, you ask? It's because, like you, I'm tied down to this place."

"That's stupid. If you're the main spirit, then why can't you leave when you want?"

Again, Golden Freddy's image flickers and he teleports to Mike's side. Bending down so his head is beside Mike's, he says quietly, "Because half of me is controlled by Freddy. Since Freddy is my 'brother' in the suit sense, he owns half of this place, just like me. But what's different is that he controls half of me while I control no part of him. The down side of being the first spirit, I guess. So, Freddy has to agree to let me go before I can leave this place.

"That isn't fair!" Storming onto his feet, Mike furiously paces around the room. Golden Freddy observes him with amusement, swaying on his golden feet. "Freddy controls everything that goes on around here. Why don't you fight him and try to kill him? Wouldn't that be easier? I'd help you, if you want," Mike offers, standing beside the door. There isn't a peep from outside. Either the others have gone to sleep, or their ears are pressed up against the opposite side of the door, eavesdropping on what they're saying.

Perching on the kitchen counter, Golden Freddy smacks a paw through the cabinet beside him. His hand goes straight through the wood, like a ghost. "I'm only the fragment of what was once alive. A spirit. I cannot touch anything and feel it. Physically, I am useless. My powers lie within feeling emotion." Using his fingers, he attempts to pick up a stray fork on the counter, but his fingers pass through the metal.

"Oh God." Shaking his head and approaching the golden bear, Mike regards him hopelessly. "Freddy can cause physical harm and has control over the spirit. He has multiple advantages over us. We're both screwed, if that's the case." Sinking down onto the floor, he leans his head against the kitchen cabinet and stares up at the bright lights.

He feels Golden Freddy appear next to him on the floor, their arms touching. "Don't lose hope." Pointing a golden finger to himself, he says, "I can feel the emotion and can control the spirit, while you," he points his finger at Mike, "can inflict the physical damage."

"Are you trying to say you want to team up?" Mike asks hopefully, his eyes blurring from staring at the lights.

Nodding, Golden Freddy admits, "I'm at my final straw. If we team up and it all works out, we can leave. It's not that I hate this place, quite the opposite, but I feel as if it's time to move on. I want to travel the world. A few months ago, I found this book about a country named Peru, and by the pictures, it looks gorgeous. But no matter how many times I explain to Freddy that I would return if I left, he never lets me finish my explanations. He cuts me off!"

"But how will we do it?" Mike wonders aloud. "I still don't understand everything about this place. Could you tell me more about what the 'spirit' is?"

Placing a paw on Mike's head, Golden Freddy whispers, "No, but I can show you."

And in a second, they've disappeared from the room, as if they were never there in the first place. Grumbling in her sleep, Chica shifts but doesn't wake.

* * *

The first clue of being teleported into the past is the vinyl record machine playing the music. _Make that the way past,_ Mike thinks when he spots the people's poufy and greased hairstyles. Their clothes scream the oldies, of faded jeans and brands that existed several years ago. The people are crowded in the small room, sitting in plastic chairs and standing beside full tables. Kids run around excitedly, to the small stage or to the five cent gumball machines with nickels clutched in their tiny fists. Oddly enough, this place looks similar to Freddy Fazbear's Pizzeria, but a smaller version.

The main stage contains one microphone, and only one animatronic is up on stage, singing. _Golden Freddy_. This is the building that the murder must've happened at if Golden Freddy is the only animatronic. _Why would he come back to this time?_ Mike thinks from their place in the corner of the room, watching the action on stage happen. How the kids attempt to climb on and their parents grabbing them off, oblivious to the sign that read, 'Keep off the stage! Thank you!' One of the kids managed to touch Golden Freddy's arm before being snatched by his annoyed parent. The security isn't tight, that's for sure. No wonder a murder happened here.

"Welcome to Fazbear's in the 70's," Golden Freddy announces with a smile, presenting the room with a hand motion. "Now come on, follow me, this is important."

"Where are we going, exactly?" Mike asks, following him down a lighted hallway to a back room. Entering the parts and repair room, Golden Freddy sits on a chair beside an oak table and pats the chair next to him. Plopping beside him, Mike examines the room with narrowed eyes. "It's exactly the same." From the materials of the desk to where everything's placed, it's the same.

"Weird, isn't it? After my death, they made this room the same in the new building. I was offended for a long time, bit now I cease to care."

"You're pretty cool," Mike admits, glancing at the bear. "I thought you'd be all pissy and protective like Freddy because you two are related."

"God no!" Golden Freddy laughs. "We're total opposites. I'm the fun one while Freddy's the serious, mysterious one."

Their voices die down when the door knob rattles. "Here we go," Golden Freddy whispers, eyes trained on the door.

The door creaking open, Mike almost chokes when he sees himself walk into the room, a small, adorable kid following close behind. The little boy clutches onto a lollipop, his eyes bright.

"There I am!" Golden Freddy smiles.

"What the hell are you talking about? _That'_ s me!" Mike argues, watching himself urge the kid to stand in the center of the room, close the door quietly, and lock it. Turning towards the kid, he sees a creepy smile on his face. _Wait a minute, that's not me, I have brown eyes, not blue._

"No! The murderer is in your suit, the Springtrap suit. The little kid is me. Now watch closely, always you won't understand."

'The murderer?' Examining the child and that creepy smile, Mike's eyes widen.

"Where's the candy?" the little boy asks, examining the room on his tiptoes with excitement. His eyes pass over Mike and Golden Freddy as if they aren't there.

"You fool," Springtrap chuckles deeply. "There never was any candy."

The confused and innocent glance the child gives Springtrap makes Mike jump onto his feet and scream out, "No!" He knows what's coming next, and he won't allow the kid to feel helpless like he did when he was killed by Freddy. Before he can take action, Golden Freddy narrows his eyes and Mike's chest burns. Cringing, Mike lowers himself back onto the seat.

"There's nothing we can do," Golden Freddy says quietly, releasing his spiritual hold on Mike. "It's a memory, nothing else."

Mike winces as Springtrap slaps the kid in the face. The lollipop falls to the ground as the boy's lip wobbles. Covering his eyes, Mike's ears cringe at the boy's wails echo throughout the room. "Watch!" Golden Freddy commands, ripping Mike's hands away from his face.

Taking a knife from the drawer of the table next to him, Springtrap slashes the boy down the face, spilling red liquid. Sobbing, the kid tries to get away but Springtrap grabs the boy's neck and sticks the knife through the sensitive skin. Twisting it into his neck, Springtrap grins as the boy flails. Blood stains Springtrap's hand red as he plunges the knife deeper into the skin. The wails die down as tense seconds pass. By the way the kid limply watches the ground as the knife twists deeper, Mike knows he's dead.

 _How can someone do this?_ Mike thinks, his jaw tightening. _If I could kill that man in the Springtrap suit, l would. If I lean over this table, I could grab him and tear him open. I could murder him, spray his guts throughout the room, make him pay._

Both of their eyes watch a small steam of blue strings of mist emerge from the boy's mouth, twist and drift through the air, then suddenly head for the door and disappear. "That's my spirit going to the Golden Freddy suit. It's the only thing it could find that resembled a human and was empty. Souls cannot inhabit something that's already occupied by another soul, so the Golden Freddy suit was, really, the only choice."

"He can't see it?" Mike points at Springtrap, who stares down at the body, swishing the blood around on the floor. "Disgusting bastard."

"Nope, just us."

With his hands shaking, Mike watches Springtrap grab the boy's dead head. "What's he doing?"

"Nope, not watching that. Moving on." Their vision blurs as Golden Freddy transports them to another time. This time, they're at the new building in the parts and repair room. Freddy sits alone in one of the chairs, his body hunched. His suit seems cleaner, but his eyes look dead.

"Why are we here? Because if Freddy's going to start crying, I'm out," Mike snaps, irritated that he couldn't save the little boy.

"I wanted to show you another side of Freddy, because if our plan is going to work, then you're going to have to get along with him," Golden Freddy says, motioning Mike to follow him over to Freddy's side. "You'll see him in a different light after this, believe me."

"Did he finally realize no one liked him?" Mike wonders, not sure what to expect next. His thoughts scatter when the door flies open. Freddy winces as a shadow passes over his body, his gaze snapping to the floor.

The person in the doorway looks exactly like the manager, but his hair's short and his nose supports a ring. "That's the manager's son," Golden Freddy whispers. "I hated the guy, and you'll see why."

Leisurely navigating over to Freddy, the manager's son takes out a taser from his pocket and, without hesitation, slams it between Freddy's eyes. The bear grits his teeth and his eyes roll. "Freddy was always sensitive to electricity," Golden Freddy says into Mike's ear. "Electricity really messed him up. Sometimes, when he would get tased, I feared he would die."

Watching Freddy being tased, Mike doesn't feel an ounce of happiness. Maybe it's because he witnessed a murder, or he's screwed up in the head from everything that's happened. Seeing someone so miserable, even if it's Freddy, isn't right. The whole scene is wrong, seeing Freddy, the leader and confident one, being reduced to something lower than dirt. And what got Mike was that Freddy didn't seem to care.

"Every day he would get abused," Golden Freddy explains. "I couldn't help him, but I heard his cries and his wishes. Do you want to know what he wished for?" Before Mike can say no, he says, "He wished to die. He wanted death more than anything. Like you, he was forced into the life of an animatronic, but he didn't want to escape. Death was what he yearned for. He tried everything to commit suicide, but that's another rule at Freddy Fazbear's. Suicide is against the rules, but there's a way to get around that, and you know what that is."

Mike wants to tell Golden Freddy to shut up, he's feeling ill and wants to go back, but Golden Freddy points at Freddy. "Look."

The manager's son stands over Freddy's body. Kicking him, he snarls, "I should burn you. I'd be doing the world a favor of getting rid of your fat ass."

His next words make Mike blink in astonishment. "Then kill me," Freddy says quietly.

"The only way to escape is to- woah, what's going on!?" Their vision blurs as they return back to their time. _Were we pulled out of the memory?_ Mike thinks as the kitchen becomes clearer, until he can make out Chica's sleeping form and something standing over him, large and brown. _Oh no._ Golden Freddy glances around in confusion while Mike gasps. Freddy stands over them, his fists clenched, face enraged. For once, his rage isn't directed towards Mike.

"Freddy, I didn't- OW!" Golden Freddy screams and clenches his chest, his body writhing in pain. His screams wake up Chica, and she glances around the room with terror. Red light shines under his golden suit. "Stop! STOP! Please, I'm sorry!"

"HOW DARE YOU SHOW HIM THAT!" Freddy bellows, stomping over to Golden Freddy and grasping him by the throat, raising him from the ground. "GET AWAY FROM HERE! LEAVE! GO TO PERU AND NEVER COME BACK!" he bellows into Golden Freddy's terrified face. Throwing him to the ground, Freddy takes large, shaky breaths. Glancing towards Mike, he frowns when Mike avoids eye contact.

The red light disappears from Golden Freddy's suit, and he slumps over, his legs wobbly. "I can leave?" he whispers, eyes excited.

"Go now," Freddy spits, his voice shaking in fury. Through the fury, there's a trace of anxiety. "Leave. You will never return."

Astonished and speechless, Mike watches Golden Freddy stand on his wobbly legs and glance in his direction. "Burn it down," he winks, and then he's gone.


	6. Part 6

It's weird to see the leader of a group, the one with the toughest skin and the sharpest mind, fall apart. That feelings of ire can snap to misery without a limbo between the two emotions.

Mike's been in the same position since Golden Freddy left, still in shock. With that time, he's been secretly gauging Freddy's emotions. The apparently suicidal bear hasn't been taking things well. His face may look calm, but his irregular breathing and rapid blinking give away his scattered emotions. No doubt he's freaking out about the bittersweet memory and Mike seeing it.

 _What am I supposed to say to that?_ Mike ponders, thinking back to Freddy being tased. A very personal moment, but a hint as to what he's dealing with. Essentially, they're in the same boat. _He understands what I'm going through. So why isn't he letting me go? Why am I still here?_

"I want you to disregard what you saw," Freddy says quietly, glancing at Mike with blank eyes. With every word, his composure seems to strengthen. "Those events happened several years ago and are irrelevant."

Ears twitching with irritation, Mike stands. That small ounce of pity he had for Freddy disappeared with his asinine statement. "You can't disregard the past. It's shaped you into the person you're like today, so don't feed me that 'irrelevant' crap."

"I do not want to argue right now," Freddy snaps, voice strained. "If that's what you want to do, then leave this room."

They both stare at each other for a moment, then Freddy looks away. Mike doesn't look back as he shuffles out, slamming the door shut behind him. When the door is shut, Freddy lets out an irritated snarl and smashes his hand into the wall, breaking through the fragile exterior.

* * *

All three of the animatronics are huddled up on the stage. Bonnie's telling Chica something, but she shakes her head and looks away. Bonnie's ears droop and he scratches the back of his neck. Foxy has this far away expression and his eyes keep trailing to the floor. He doesn't seem as affected as the others by the altercation.

Watching them from the door frame, Mike sighs. _Truly a family_ , he thinks as he approaches the bleak group. _I guess the way they see it, big brother got into a fight with 'dad'._

The three of them swing their gazes to Mike as he climbs onto the stage, their expressions suddenly nervous. "What happened?" Chica demands, her voice hitched. Being frazzled, her feathers are starting to poof. "All I woke up to was screaming! It was scary."

"Freddy wasn't pissed at me. It was Golden Freddy."

"Him!?" Chica whispers, her hands flying to her mouth.

Before Mike can explain, Foxy's at his side and examining his suit. "Did Freddy hurt ya?" he asks, his large eyes looking for any sign of damage.

"How could you say that? Freddy would never hurt us," Bonnie accuses, standing beside Chica. Nodding in agreement, Chica stares at Mike in an accusatory way.

"He's never hurt you? Emotionally or physically?" Mike asks Bonnie, hands on his hips. When Bonnie opens his mouth but closes it and glances at Chica, Mike feels a rush of pity and anger. _What did Freddy do to them?_ "How can you stand him? He's abusive! If you guys knew better, you'd be helping me trying to escape!"

Shrugging, Foxy warily stands beside Mike, his eyes still lingering over his suit.

"Foxy, I'm okay," Mike assures. "Freddy just yelled at me."

"Why?" Chica asks, her arms crossed.

"Golden Freddy showed me a not so nice memory of Freddy's past and Freddy was the one who ripped us out of the memory."

"Ah, his past was always a touchy subject," Foxy nods in understanding.

"Of course it was! He was abused every day!" Chica squawks, glancing at Bonnie. An unspoken form of communication takes place, and Mike immediately understands. They're fully on Freddy's side. Even though he's done _something_ to them, they still won't let go. Glancing at Foxy, who quickly glances away at being caught staring, Mike knows that the fox is on his side.

 _What will it take for them to switch sides?_

"I'm kinda mad you would suggest that," Chica continues, glancing at her fluffed feathers and taking a deep breath. "Freddy takes excellent care of us."

"You're mad because you know I'm true." _Look back on all of those hours you spent alone in the kitchen, wanting someone to notice you. How Foxy craves for someone to play with and go on an adventure with. Even Bonnie, who really needs some excitement in his life. He liked the fireworks, and I bet he'd like many other things if I could show him._

Chica steps away from the group, face conflicted. Mike can see her replay past those moments where she felt alone. There are too many to recall. "I need to think. I'm going to the kitchen." Stomping away from them, she heads off the stage. Before she enters the kitchen, her body wracks and she covers her face with her hands.

Bonnie shakes his head and glances at Mike. "I don't like this mood she's in. I'm going to follow her and try to calm her down. Be good," he commands, heading off the stage. When the door of the kitchen clicks and his figure disappears, silence engulfs the room.

"Do you know what will change their minds?" Hopping off the stage and lingering beside the microphone, Mike listens for any noise. Watching him, Foxy smiles and sits beside the microphone, his feet hanging from the stage. Leaning back on his paws, he chuckles when Mike smacks his head against the stage. "What am I thinking, they're too attached to this hellhole."

"Only Freddy could change their minds, but don't give up yet. I'm on your side. I'll admit that I didn't think about t'outside much until ya came along." Pointing to the underside of the stage, Foxy adds, "Also, this book I found inspired me."

"Book?" Ripping his head from the stage, he glances below and pulls out a small, paper cover book. The cover is shiny and the binding smooth. "Peru and its histories. This must be the book Golden Freddy was talking about."

"Aye, if ya look through it, there's pictures o' t' sea! I'd like t'visit that someday."

"Foxy, can you read?" Mike asks, flipping to the front page of the book. On it is a picture of the island, shrouded in mist.

"No, why?"

 _I'm not going to burst his bubble and tell him that going there would be almost impossible, given our current circumstances._ They're not like Golden Freddy and can teleport wherever. They'd have to board a plane, but what about their suits? People wouldn't take flying with animatronics too well. No one would like being around free roaming robots. They'd be hunted down by the police or be shunned by society. This reality sets into Mike's chest, and he forces a smile for Foxy's benefit. "That's a long ways away."

"We could sail there, you and me! We'd have a grand adventure! We could brin' Bonnie, too. And Chica. She could cook for us."

"But not Freddy?" Mike asks quietly, staring at the fox with shaded eyes. A few seconds pass and Foxy glances at the ceiling.

"Not Freddy."

* * *

Flipping through the pages of the book, Mike can see why Golden Freddy wanted to visit there. Lush grass, huge trees, and the all so famous Machu Picchu. It looks so peaceful. _This can't compare,_ Mike thinks glumly, staring at the dark outside with its cracked concrete and dying grass. With the closing of the restaurant, everything about it has been slowly rotting away. _I wish Golden Freddy brought me with him._

It's been a few hours since Golden Freddy left, and Mike's been thinking. What if he did escape? What could he do to live a normal life and pretend that none of this happened? Lifting up his arm and staring at the yellow fur, Mike frowns. Firstly, he'd have to get out of this suit somehow.

"Mike, what are you doing?"

Snarling, Mike hides the book under his leg and ignores the voice. Footsteps pad across the stage and Freddy looks out the window with Mike, watching the trees sway. Sniffing the fresh breeze, Freddy's eyes narrow.

"What's so bad about out there," Mike mumbles, watching an older man ride his bike across the street. He doesn't know that two animatronics watch him, or he doesn't see them at all. The spirit probably distorts his image of the pizzeria. "It's better to let me go instead of keeping me here. I'll rebel every second until I'm free."

"You know exactly why," Freddy counters, his eyes cold. "You saw what he did to me."

"That was one person. Not everyone is like that."

"I know that. The proof is right here," Freddy smiles, patting Mike's shoulder. Ignoring his frown, Freddy continues, "I want to protect you from those people who are like him. I can't chance you being hurt like I was. What I went through was emotionally damaging."

"Told you that the past is relevant," Mike mumbles.

Ignoring that, Freddy places a paw on the lever of the window. "This is what's best for you."

Instantly, Mike stiffens. "Don't."

His pleading voice makes Freddy look at him, then again back to the lever. There's not any sorrow in the bear's eyes, but determination. His hands grab onto the lever and begin to pull it inwards.

Freddy grunts when Mike slams into him and grabs onto his hands, desperately trying to yank them off of the lever. It's the last bit of his freedom. He won't let Freddy take it that easily.

Like Mike isn't using his full strength, Freddy calmly pulls the lever down and closes the window. Shoving Mike off, he clicks the blinds down. With the window shut and covered, Freddy sighs at Mike's rigid form. "That's quite enough."

"Your past has made you into _this._ Demanding, controlling, and cruel!" Angrily, Mike pulls at the shades, causing them to rip at the bottom, and Freddy grips his wrist, halting it from destroying any more.

"Stop."

"Never!" With his other hand, Mike grabs onto the dark material and rips the blinds from the wall. In a flash, he's viciously pushed to the ground with Freddy's figure looming over him.

"Fine, I can admit that the past is relevant in some fashion. Your past has made you into this." Freddy motions from the top of Mike to the bottom of his feet. "Full of resentment. You have the tendency to lash out unexpectedly. It's all that you know, isn't it?"

"Shut up! At least I wasn't abused like you!" Mike screams, trying to get up but being gently pushed down by Freddy's foot.

Growling, Freddy clenches his fists, his eyes darkening. "You were abused, too, so don't lie! You were neglected and ignored by your father when he was there. You had to eat macaroni back to back because that's all you knew how to cook, and no one else was there to cook anything decent for you. All of those night you stayed home and wished that your mom would get off of work so you two could talk. That was right before you walked into your new life here, too! Or how lonely you were, watching TV alone and, deep down, wishing your father would come back. Or how you took the security guard shift in the first place so you wouldn't lie to your mother about having a job! But you didn't respond when she asked if it was well paying, now did you?"

"You prick!" Mike kicks out at Freddy's leg and feels his lip quiver with frustration. "That's personal!"

"It's why I gave you this life," Freddy whispers, expression intense. "I never want you feeling alone. I want you to be surrounded by people that love and care about you. I will not allow your father or anyone else to make you feel any sort of timid emotions. For example, I know that you killed the manager. He's an abuser, just like his child. I cleaned up his blood feeling no mercy. You need to be protected from this nasty and cruel world and people like him. I need to keep ahold of that little boy inside of you and not let him go."

"That little boy is gone," Mike hisses. "I will never be like that again. I will remain the same as I am now, because I can't better myself if I'm trapped in this stupid restaurant! I'm not going to change just because you want me to!"

"But you will. Bonnie, Chica, and Foxy changed. I changed, even though I came into this life hating everything about it. Like me, you will begin to love this life I graciously gave you."

"You bastard." Mike can feel the hate running through his body. _I won't hold back this time. I will not feel any pity for this thing._ "I hate you so much. If I was stronger than you, I would be exactly like that guy in the memory and give you what you deserve."

Those words make Freddy freeze. Then, at once, Freddy's eyes change to pure black and his body trembles.

"Shit." When Mike pushes against the floor to get up and escape, Freddy smashes his foot into Mike's upper thigh. Screaming, Mike clutches the damaged area, the pain paralyzing him. A sharp slap to the side of his head forces another cry from him. Raising his arms to protect himself, Mike spots Chica burst into the main hall and freeze in shock. Her eyes are locked onto Freddy's fists as he beats down on Mike.

"Help!" Mike screeches, forcing Chica out of her terrified trance.

Finally, her lips open and she screams, "Help! Freddy's... oh no." Chica covers her mouth and sobs. "Freddy's snapped."

"See? You're a monster," Mike spits, staring into Freddy's dark eyes. Even though he's scared that Freddy's going to kill him, he feels triumph. "I can take these punches, because I know what's going to happen after this. You gave me hope, Freddy. You are the cause of your own downfall." Another scream tears through him when Freddy grabs a hold of his arm and twists it. Wires and metal snap, the sound audible to Mike's own ears. With every hit, Mike can feel his arms falling apart.

The hold doesn't last for long. Chica, Foxy, and Bonnie's hands grip Freddy and attempt to pull him off. Bonnie's arms strain while Foxy grunts, using all his strength. Chica squeezes her eyes shut, her teeth gritted.

"Freddy, stop this!" Bonnie shouts. At no reply, he curses.

Helplessly looking up at them, Mike can't speak a word, his arms destroyed from blocking Freddy's crazed punches.

Finally, Freddy is wrenched off of Mike, strangled groans escaping from his mouth. His eyes are still locked onto Mike's, enraged and dark. A bead of light has appeared in the center, the beginnings of Freddy's control over himself. The three animatronics struggle to hold onto his struggling form. Foxy gouges his hook into Freddy's skin and has a hold around his neck, Bonnie grapples with one hand and getting smacked in the face a few times while Chica the other hand, screaming whenever Freddy accidently smacks her.

"Go into the bathroom and lock the door. He won't hurt you there," Chica demands shakily.

 _Your savior isn't as holy as you thought he was_ , Mike thinks, sluggishly getting up from the ground and wincing over to the bathrooms. His body hurts with every step. Not as bad as being burned, but painful nonetheless. Inside the men's bathroom, he sinks to the clean floor and bleakly hears the commotion outside. Another growl and he faintly hears a smack. While he listens, his brown eyes cut through the darkness. _It's like I never left the closet._

Touching his bent arms, he winces. When he touches a loose wire, his vision swims and he takes calming breaths, repeating to himself, "I'm going to be fine."

When the commotion blares down, Mike doesn't open the door. Quietly, he waits for someone to retrieve him. He does not want to face Freddy again.

 _They have to see him for what he really is. It'll be easier to convince them to leave._ Touching his face and feeling a small crevice, he sighs. _This was all worth it, even though it hurts like a bitch._

A sharp knock to the door several minutes later makes Mike's ears perk.

"It's me," Bonnie calls out, his voice unusually calm. "Freddy's in the night guard's room. He's settled down now." Unlocking the door and seeing Bonnie's kind face, Mike winces and shows off his arms.

"It's okay," Bonnie says quietly, examining the damage. "You're safe. If you come with me to the stage, I'll fix up your arms."

Following him, Mike squints his eyes at the bright lights in the main stage. Usually, they're not on. Chica sits by herself in Mike's bed, mumbling to herself. When spotting Mike, Foxy rushes over and helps him up the stage. Growling when catching sight of his arms, he leads Mike to Bonnie's bed.

"What are we playing, musical chairs?" Mike mumbles as he sits into Bonnie's bed, earning a laugh from Foxy. Rolling her eyes, Chica grabs Mike's blankets and wraps them protectively around herself.

"Wait here while I get supplies." Frowning at Mike's arms, Bonnie takes a deep breath and hops off the stage. When Mike glances up from his arms, Chica's moved his blankets beside Bonnie's and Foxy sits beside Mike, scratching his ear. All that they need is Bonnie to complete a perfect circle.

"I still can't believe that Freddy did that to you," Chica mutters quietly, her large eyes examining Mike's arms. "I knew that our family was starting to fall apart, and this is the proof."

"I don't trust Freddy anymore," Foxy admits, sharing a glance with Mike. "He hurt one o' us. After he said that his family was his number one priority."

"Goes to show how quickly things can spiral out of control," Bonnie adds, coming up behind them and plopping down in front of Mike. They all make a complete circle _without Freddy._

Setting a bag in the middle of the circle, Bonnie zips it open and takes out a wrench.

"Bonnie, what do you think?" Chica asks. "You always know what to do."

"I don't know." His eyes narrow when he mutters, "I'm very angry that he did this to Mike. I'm not in the mood to talk to him anytime soon."

"But our family," Chica whispers. She doesn't need to add _this will break our family apart_ , because everyone already knows.

Holding the wrench, he thinks for a moment. Finally, he says, "I'm going to do what feels right. Whatever that may be, in the end, it will be for the safety of _our_ family."

 _The way he put 'our,'_ Mike thinks, staring at the bunny. _Did he just...?_

Pulls his knees to his chest, Foxy hides the grin on his face.

Smiling, Mike glances at the two boys. _I think so._

As Chica stares at Bonnie in shock, he motions for Mike to hold out his arm. Holding it out, Mike grits his teeth as Bonnie starts repairing everything that's broken, from the little wires that intertwine together in a vine-like fashion to the metal structure that's holding him together.


	7. Part 7

"How long until you think they notice?" Mike whispers into Foxy's ear, eyeing the two across the stage. In reply, the fox covers his mouth with his arm, trying to muffle his bark of laughter. They're standing out in the open in the middle of the stage, and they still haven't been noticed by _you know who._

 _How can't he smell this?_ Mike hasn't been breathing through his nose in fear of inhaling it again. He hasn't been breathing at all, and it still feels weird to not need air. More assurance that he's a robot, something that he doesn't need to be reminded about.

On the opposite side of the stage, beside the small stairs that lead off to the main floor, Freddy and Chica play an intense game of checkers. Freddy's eyes dart across the board, figuring out different possibilities of moves several turns ahead, while Chica stares at her checkers in deep contemplation. Her fingers linger over a checker, then she snaps them back to her side as if she's touched something hot.

"They haven't looked at us once, so I'm not sure, lad," Foxy whispers back, his tail wagging.

After a painfully long pondering period, Chica flicks one of her black checkers into another position. What she doesn't see is a small smile tug at the corners of Freddy's mouth.

In a flash, Freddy moves his checker and jumps it over three of Chica's, taking her checkers and placing them beside the board. There isn't any black checkers left- Freddy's won. The color of his checkers are red, the perfect color to describe him and his wicked actions.

"Oh no! I lost again!" she complains, groaning dramatically with a hopeless expression on her face. Smiling when Freddy taps his toe against hers, she slams her leg into his with a deafening crack. They both laugh and Freddy simply leans back the leg that was hit, as if it was nothing.

Watching the exchange, Mike feels sick. He wants to tell Chica to _get away from him, he will screw you over like he did to me,_ but he knows it won't reach past her ears. She doesn't believe that there's another side to Freddy, an imperfect one greatly different from the bear she knows. If only she knew about the window she would understand that Freddy is not the man she thinks he is.

"You know that I'm the best at checkers," Freddy proudly states, sitting up straighter in his seat. He arranges the checkers back onto the board and into their assigned positions, his ear twitching irritably when Chica grabs onto a carefully placed checker and throws it at him playfully. It's not even a twitch, but a small movement, something that Chica didn't, no _couldn't,_ see. How easy it is to spot Freddy's small hints of irritation when you take the time to look for it.

"God, just look at him. He's even a control freak when playing a game of checkers," Mike mumbles, uncapping the permanent marker lid and placing the cool tip back onto his fur. Another image scrawled, this time the shape of a very offensive picture. Black covers the majority of his fur, something that he's been working on for the past thirty minutes, which is why he's wondering if Freddy is purposely ignoring them. It would make sense, giving that Mike has been ignoring his constant apologies. Not that Mike will ever believe them, even though Freddy's face does look convincing when he's practically begging on his knees. If Mike didn't know that Freddy is a master at playing with emotions and bending people to his will, he would've begrudgedly accepted the apology. Not once did Mike look Freddy in the eyes when he was apologizing, something he had to do to not fall under Freddy's spell.

For the past few days, never was there an hour when Mike would be left in peace from the sappy excuses. Every hour the bear would pop into the room Mike was in and try to sit down next to him, or talk to him, but Mike would either ignore him or leave the room. Something had soured in their already strained one-sided relationship, and the poison had already leaked into the other relationships Freddy holds dear to himself. Through all of this, Mike watches it burn with contentment. All he needs is time, and then everything will fall apart.

Like Mike, Foxy's fur is covered with black lines, more so words than pictures. Mike had the pleasure of writing the word 'Fuck' all over Foxy's fur, making small, squiggly designs of the word or large, obnoxious bubble letters. A very large Fuck is written out on the top of Foxy's head and across his friendly face.

It's just another attempt at pissing off Freddy. It's good that Foxy finds it amusing to do so. He was having a ball watching Mike draw all over himself, even pitching in a few ideas of his own. Even though Mike views Foxy as a sort-of friend, he wishes Freddy will become angry and attack them again. That will convince Chica. She won't be able to deny Freddy's true nature any longer. The others would flip to Mike's side entirely with that last betrayal. Then, with their agreements, they could properly rebel against Freddy and _win._

Hopefully, at the end of it all, Freddy will be no longer walking the halls of this pizzeria. There won't be a funeral or anything of the sort. If anything, Mike will spit on his dead body as his own personalized farewell.

This project is something to quicken the process of their escape. To make sure that Foxy won't take the heat of the punishment, Mike made sure to write the foulest obscenities over every inch of his own fur, kind of like a divergence. Once Freddy sees them, he will know who started everything and blame Mike about the obscenities. One that Foxy laughed at is written on Mike's back. In huge letters, it reads, 'Bears are cocksuckers.'

"What a mental image," Mike had muttered while Foxy drew it on his back carefully, trying to copy the letters that were drawn out on a piece of paper. He was nervous about writing it, being unable to read or write any letters with confidence.

At Foxy's confusion, Mike explained and they had a loud, jolly laugh together.

"Let's walk past them and see what they do." Mike nudges Foxy's arm, urging him to get up and follow. The two pad across the stage and past the two playing another game of checkers. When they pass Freddy, a large hoot of laughter escapes Foxy's mouth and he can't stop himself from hysterically cackling. Along with him, over his own laughing, Mike can hear Freddy gasp. No doubt he glimpsed their colorful artwork drawings. They start to run across the stage at the shrill sound of a chair moving against the floor.

"Boys, what did you _do_?"

The reaction he's been wanting. Halting in his steps and spinning around, Mike whispers to Foxy, "Run, I'll take care of this." Facing Freddy, he lets out a growl when Foxy's tail smacks his side. " _Go._ "

"No, we did this together. I can't let him blame it all on ya," Foxy argues, staring Freddy down as he approaches them, Chica in his wake. Mike can feel Foxy's tail puff up and has an urge to swat it away from his side.

Glancing an accusatory gaze at Mike, Freddy swings his focus back to Foxy. Their stares are sharp and a tension brews. Relationships have been strained recently, even though it's been four days since Freddy's attack on Mike. Bonnie has promptly ignored Freddy, preferring to hang out with Mike in the old guard's room. Foxy's sudden hostile demeanor towards Freddy was sudden but expected given that he feels the closest to Mike. During the day, he's leaning more towards Mike for attention that he used to get from Freddy. If possible, Mike's been even colder towards Freddy. Chica's the only one that has hung out with Freddy and has been cordial with him.

"Your fur looks terrible. Get the marker off, now," Freddy commands.

"It's permanent. It's not coming off anytime soon," Mike shoots back, mocking Freddy's facial expression. _Take the bait,_ Mike thinks, watching Freddy as he glances at the two, then settles his piercing gaze back onto Mike. _I've been a total shit to you for four days. Attack me and get this fiasco over with._

Instead, Freddy shakes his head and backs away. Is he letting Mike _win?_ "I know what you want me to do, and I'm not doing it," he mutters, sitting back down at the table full of checkers.

The three gawk at him for a second, then Mike shakes his head. _Whatever, you bipolar dick._ "C'mon Foxy, let's get out of here." When he turns his back, Chica reads the message and gasps.

"You're being cruel!" she shouts as they jump off the stage. "When we brought you here, Mike, you weren't like this! Do you remember when we cooked pizza together? We got along so well! Have you already forgotten?"

 _No, I haven't,_ Mike internally shoots back, his chest suddenly heavy. Thinking back onto those times when everyone except Freddy was in the kitchen, hanging out and eating pizza, depresses him. Remembering how Foxy would get sick eating too much pizza, how Bonnie would sit on the kitchen table and watch Mike make dough, chatting about something random. And Chica was always there, smiling and making everything perfect. _I haven't forgotten at all._

Happily following him down the hallway, Foxy whistles as they enter the old guard's office. In the swivel seat sits Bonnie, his long legs crossed. Ear twitching in acknowledgement as they crowd around him, Bonnie's face is oddly concentrated. It looks like he's deep in thought.

"Hey, Bon. I've got to tell you something interesting," Mike starts, waving a hand in front of the bunny's face.

Eyes snapping out of their meditation, they linger down both of the boys' tattooed bodies with confusion. "Do I want to know?" Bonnie asks with amusement, examining the word scrawled across Foxy's face.

"It's important," Mike points out, and Bonnie cocks his head, listening. "My plan failed."

"That's _all?_ "

Shaking his head, Mike leans against the desk, about to explain Freddy's annoyance towards Chica when a strained sound comes from beneath the oak trimming. Foxy quickly backs away, giving Mike an amused stare. With a confused look, Bonnie rolls his chair away from the desk. "Mike, it's going to break."

"You're sure about that?" Leaping up onto the desk with confidence and with his ears almost touching the ceiling, Mike yelps when the thing suddenly collapses and painfully drops him onto his butt. He inelegantly attempts to get up and growls at the sharp pain from his behind. After Foxy laughs until he wheezes and Bonnie's coughs from the kick up of dust discontinue, Mike groans and rubs his back, feeling the wood gouged into his suit.

"It's only the fourth day," Bonnie explains coolly, leaning back in the chair. "You'll have to give it some time. Eventually, Freddy will become fed up with your behavior and lash out."

"And?" Mike drawls, lifting himself off of the floor.

Sighing, Bonnie proclaims with a hint of a smile, "And Foxy and I will be there to help you out." Suddenly, he clutches his head and his face scrunches up.

"What's wrong?" Foxy asks, watching Bonnie take a deep breath.

"Migraine?" Mike asks.

"Animatronics can't get migraines," Bonnie points out, staring up at the ceiling. "I'm not sure what I'm feeling. Ever since Freddy banished Golden Freddy, I've had this weird feeling inside of me. A few hours ago, the feeling has started to… slip away."

"Is that a bad thing?" Mike asks, wondering what Golden Freddy did to Bonnie. He wouldn't put it past the golden bear to do something mysterious before he left for Peru.

"No! It's great. I said 'weird' because I can do things I never thought were possible, like look through your memories."

 _He must have the spirit's power, then. It must've been passed onto him from Golden Freddy._ Tensing up, Mike mutters, "Did you snoop into my memories?" At Bonnie's lack of eye contact, Mike smacks his hand against the wall. "Why does _everyone_ look into my past? That's personal!"

"I'm sorry, but I was curious."

"What did you see?" Mike grumbles.

Worry enters Bonnie's tone when he says, "Don't get mad at me, please. I'm not like Freddy and will use it against you."

"Fine." _Remember, I can trust Bonnie._ And it is true that he's more comfortable with Bonnie seeing his past than Freddy. "If you're weirded out by a memory and want me to explain why I did it, then tell me," he says in a softer voice.

"I understood everything I saw, so you're good," Bonnie starts, scratching his neck. "There were many things that flared my temper. Your dad was one of them. He didn't treat you right at all."

"Neither towards my mom. I can't believe I fell for his stupid crap."

"Stupid crap?" Foxy repeats with confusion.

Sighing, Mike faces him, eyes conflicted. "When I was younger, he would make these promises, and I believed every single one of them."

"Oh," Foxy nods in understandment.

"Enough about that. I hate talking about my dad," Mike mumbles. Every time he talks about him, certain memories pop up. _Dad, will you come to my school play!? Sure, son! But I might be a little late!_

 _But he never showed up. What a deadbeat._

"Me too." At Mike's incredulous stare, Foxy shrugs. "I never went t' school because o' my dad. We owned a farm together, just t' two o' us. We had a dog, but I forgot his name. He'd always chase t' neighbor's cats. It was our own little world o' hard work and no education."

"How old were you when you…" Mike motions around the room, not wanting to say the word aloud. "And _why?_ "

Foxy's ears droop. "I was fifteen. I really wanted t' go t' school, but my dad wouldn't let me. I started to get interested in school because o' this lass. My neighbors had a daughter, and she would talk t' me frequently. She would cross t' street and we would sit on t' fence together, talkin'. She would show me her books and read t' me." He rubs his neck when he admits, "And she would always touch my hair. I think I had a crush on her."

 _They all had lives outside the pizzeria, too. I had forgotten._ "How did you end up here, of all the places?"

"I ran away with her," Foxy starts, his voice shaky. "We both ran. She was havin' troubles with her family and asked me if I wanted t' escape. A couple hours later, t' police were after us, so we decided t' keep it safe. I was t' look for a safe sleepin' place while she stayed in t' shadows. I ended up here due t' it bein' dark and t' parking lot empty, but Freddy thought I was an intruder. When I was walkin' down the hallway, he came up behind me and attacked. I screamed, and she heard me." Foxy glances at the ground, taking a deep breath. "Freddy kept apologizin' when I was dyin', but all I wanted was t' hear her footsteps. Instead, I heard nothin'. She left me there t' die. The police never came t' search for me here. She abandoned me. I didn't want t' return home and face t' police or my dad, so I decided t' stay."

 _Oh God._ Instead of saying anything, Mike hobbles over to him through the pain on his behind and rests a hand on his arm. Weakly, Foxy smiles, but it quickly turns back into a frown.

"What about you, Bonnie?" Mike asks.

"Me? Oh, mine is quite personal, so I might leave out a few details." Clearing his throat, his eyes get lost in the past. "I was twenty one when I died. I actually worked here, so I knew about the pizzeria and its spirit. I was the first human friend of Freddy's, and he told me these crazy stories. He pulled me into his fantasy world of being a performer and not having any worries. At the time, I had a girlfriend and I loved her dearly, but these stories made me want to become a part of this place. Like I said before, I had anger issues and was constantly getting in trouble, so I thought that becoming an animatronic would be heaven. There were three suits that didn't have spirits in them, a rabbit, a chicken, and a fox. I told him that I wanted to be in the rabbit suit because I liked playing the guitar, if I ever wanted to stay forever. At that time, I didn't want to become a part of Freddy's life yet. It would be my last resort."

At this point, Bonnie shivers. "I'm not going to tell you what happened that made me want to die, but I came here when it was dark out. I couldn't walk very well, and I could barely see, but I managed. Freddy accepted me with open arms." Leaning back in his chair, he sighs. "Sometimes… I want to leave this place and return to the human world. I know I always tell you guys I never want to, but I say that to stop your worrying of our family breaking apart. I always thought of our family before anything else."

"You guys are just like me," Mike whispers, glancing between the two of them. "We still hold onto our human lives."

"Mike, I want t' leave," Foxy suddenly begs, gripping onto Mike's arm with an iron grip. "I want t' sail with you on t' seas with Bonnie and Chica. I want t' learn how t' read, too!"

"Foxy," Mike starts, but both freeze when Bonnie gasps.

"I've started feeling this presence getting closer and closer," he growls, and Mike cocks his head.

"Since when?"

"An hour ago. I don't think Freddy can feel it, because if he could, he would've done something to protect the pizzeria from letting it enter."

"Are you going to let it enter?" Mike asks, staring at Bonnie's concentrated form. Foxy still clings onto him with desperation.

"Yes. I felt something similar to this several years ago, and it wasn't good," Bonnie whispers. This statement makes Foxy look at him with surprise. "I should tell you. I feel comfortable around you, Mike, but I need to know that you won't think differently about me after I tell you."

"Of course I won't. I've got your back," Mike assures. _I've heard that expression before._ "We've got this rabbit bond going on."

Cracking a short-lived smile, Bonnie chews the inside of his mouth. "It happened quite a while ago, in 1987 to be exact. One of the men that… bullied me came here with his kid. His kid looked exactly liked his father. I hated both of them so much, even though I didn't know much about them. As they watched us perform our music, they had the stupidest expressions on their faces. All I could think of was, "Why did he end up with a kid? He should be suffering, just like I had." After the show, the kid went up to the stage and peeked inside. All I saw was his eyes, and I lunged forward, thinking it was the father. I bit through his head and ripped off his frontal lobe. I severely hurt him, and he's spending the rest of his life in the hospital."

 _I know how easy it is to lash out at someone you hate. Just look at Freddy and I_ _._ "It's not your fault, Bonnie. Your emotions controlled you. Just look at me and Freddy, I always lash out at him."

"You aren't disgusted?" Bonnie whispers hopefully, his ears perking back up.

With a smile, Mike assures, "Nope. If I saw Freddy's kid peeking through the curtains, even if I knew it wasn't him, I still would've beaten him up. My hatred for him is that deep."

Before Bonnie can say anything, he freezes. For a second, Mike sees a flash of gold flash in his eyes, but it's soon gone. A hallucination, maybe.

Sighing, Bonnie gets up from the chair and stretches. "My short lived powers are gone. Now I can't measure the time when that thing is going to enter the pizzeria. We'll have to wait and see, I guess."

"Maybe it will arrive from t' outside?" Foxy guesses, detaching himself from Mike's arm.

Together, the group leaves the office and stands beside the hallway window. Foxy's snout touches the glass, his ears twitching impatiently. Bonnie stands in front of the window, his body alert, while Mike slouches against the window casually. While leaning against the window, a heavy feeling settles into his system.

 _I wonder…_ "So, what happened to Chica, then? Do you know?" Mike asks.

"We can't tell ya," Foxy says, eyes fixated on the outside. "Chica has t' do that herself. If we told ya, then it would feel like we were betraying her trust."

"Makes sense." Slowly, Mike's eyes start to close. Something warm blooms into his stomach, and he yawns loudly. _Where the hell did this come from? Might as well get some sleep, I guess._ Using his ears as a pillow, Mike snuggles into the fluffy softness. "Wake me up when it gets here."

* * *

Unaware to the amount of time he's been asleep, Mike awakens to Foxy shaking his shoulder.

"Mike, wake up."

"What?" Mike yawns, his brown eyes searching for Bonnie. They were all waiting for something to enter the pizzeria, weren't they? But the rabbit isn't anywhere in sight. "Where's Bonnie?"

"That's what I need t' tell ya."

Is that excitement in Foxy's voice? "What's going on?" Mike hisses, annoyed that he's out of _something_ going on.

Taking a deep breath, Foxy glances down the quiet hallway, then back at Mike. "Please don't freak out when I tell ya this. Freddy can't find out."

"Can't find out _what?_ "

A beat of silence passes, then Foxy grins. "He's back. Golden Freddy arrived a few minutes ago and is with Bonnie in t' old guard's room. They've been talkin' about his travels and how he realized somethin' while he was in Peru. And by the way Golden Freddy put it, he really needs t' talk t' ya."


	8. Part 8

There's disbelief on Mike's face as Foxy finishes explaining. Even at Foxy's enthusiastic expression and his strong voice, it all seems too unreal. Wouldn't Freddy have found out if Golden Freddy was here and kicked him out by now? "You're joking, right?"

Giving him a bewildered and slightly hurt look, Foxy asserts quietly, "I'd never lie t' ya, Mike. He really is here. We need t' hurry, Bonnie's orders. He's really worried that Freddy will find Goldie and…" His voice trails off, expression flicking to the ground.

"He's here." Saying it aloud, Mike's heart starts to hammer. "Oh my God, do you know what that means? He can help us escape. Foxy, this could be our chance!"

Tail wagging, Foxy grabs onto Mike's shoulder. "Come on! He's right around t' corner!" With sudden enthusiasm, Foxy waves his other arm, urging Mike to take the lead. Pushing him ahead, Mike heads to the old room.

Before entering the guard's office, Mike takes a deep, calm breath. It doesn't help the excitement and energy rushing through his body.

Once again, Golden Freddy has managed to surprise him. And Foxy said, 'He realized something,' and that sounds like good news. But what? _He didn't abandon me. He must have something very important to tell me if he attempted facing Freddy's wrath again._

Behind him, Foxy glances down the hallway, making sure that nothing unwanted is lingering around.

Entering the room, a strange feeling flows through Mike. It passes through the tips of his ears, then downward to his toes. It seems to pull at him, and it leaves a warm feeling in his belly. Some of the warmness remains when he's passed through the doorway, lingering in his body.

The strange feeling doesn't sway his hopeful mood in the slightest. It's another assurance that the spirit is being used in some unusual way, which only the golden bear could create and weave for his own personal doing.

Mike spots Bonnie first. He's standing beside their guest, his wide eyes trained on them. At the sight of them, the rabbit's slightly frazzled expression seems to relax. "For a second I thought you were Freddy. Please come in quickly, we don't have much time," he orders.

Golden Freddy sits casually in the guard's swirly chair beside the ruined remains of the desk. There's a banner around his body with the words "PERU ROCKS!" written on it in black sharpie. A certain lightness seems to possess Golden, more than his usual casualness.

When Golden Freddy's and Mike's eyes meet, the two share a friendly smile. "You're back," Mike smiles. "Congratulations on getting past Freddy."

"Trust me, it was difficult." Golden Freddy's eyes glance down from Mike's face to his markered body and he snorts. Bales of laughter force its way through the room as he reads the messages on his body. His uncontrollable laughter is funny to hear, leaving the three to grin at his cackling.

Feeling like an animal on display, Mike turns around to show off the message on his back, the main event of the performance.

Golden Freddy almost falls off his chair from the force of his guffawing from the demeaning message.

"Alright, the show is over," Bonnie mumbles sarcastically, knowing the effects of Freddy finding out about this 'secret' meeting. "We should try to keep it down."

 _Sorry, Bon,_ Mike thinks. It won't be secret if the two of them behave like they currently are.

After showing off the message, Mike heads away from the door and perches beside Golden Freddy, wanting to hold onto his chair in fear of it tipping over. "Calm down! You already saw Foxy's, mine shouldn't be all that exciting."

"But that message!" Golden Freddy wipes at his eyes, still laughing.

Smashing his hook against the 'lock' button on one of the doors, Foxy's ears lie flat against his head as the door slams shut with a small screech. Before leaving to get Mike, it was already decided that having both doors closed would look suspicious, so he refrains from closing the other one.

"Mike, you're one funny guy! Breaking the guard's table and writing on yourself to piss off Freddy? What comedy!" He thumps Mike's leg with his palm. "I'm not offended, by the way. I know you're talking about Freddy, not me!"

"The cocksucker message?"

Clutching his sides, Golden Freddy lets out another loud chuckle.

"Golden, please be quiet," Bonnie whispers, glancing at both of the doors with worry. "We don't want Freddy to hear your voice."

Checking his internal radar, Foxy comments, "Freddy's across t' buildin'. I don't think he can hear us. And Chica's in t' kitchen. You know how she usually stays there for a couple o' hours each visit. Probably sleepin' or attemptin' t' cook somethin', even though there's not any food left."

"Guys, don't you remember? I put up the force field for a reason," Golden Freddy clarifies, pointing to the open door. "You all must've felt it when you entered this room. Right now, it's in all of us, protecting us from being overheard by Freddy. It also protects me from being spotted in Freddy's internal radar. Right, Mike? I saw your expression when you came in. It was this funny squint. You know what's going on."

 _Force field? What next, an army of ten thousand will come crashing through the building? I don't know what to expect from him_.

"I _did_ feel something when I entered. It felt weird," Mike admits, crossing his arms. "But a force field?"

"If you look close enough, you can see it around the door. But you have to look really hard."

Squinting his eyes, Mike at first spots nothing. Then, he notices the air around the open door sway, like a gentle breeze. It's definitely something supernatural, and it lets off an aura throughout the room. "How can you do that?"

As Bonnie silently groans into his hands, Golden Freddy smirks. "That's nothing. Watch this." Lifting his hand, the other animatronics gasp when their bodies rise above the ground. In fact, everything in the room floats a few feet above the ground except for Golden Freddy. The remains of the desk, discarded junk on the ground, everything. The more the golden bear raises his hand, the farther they float up into the air. Foxy tries to move, but he squirms uselessly. They seem to be stuck in one position and incapable of moving. Mike hopes that he doesn't get lifted anymore in fear of hitting the ceiling. His ears are already brushing against the ceiling.

"Imagine what I can do if I had all of the spirit's power," Golden Freddy laughs, lowering his hand and breaking the spell. He sets the animatronics down lightly onto their feet. "I probably could lift the whole pizzeria."

"That would be awesome," Foxy grins. "We could fly over t' sea!"

"This chit chat is fun, but we're on a time scrunch," Bonnie interrupts, glancing between Golden Freddy and Mike. "We don't know when Freddy is going to realize that something's here that isn't supposed to. No offense, Golden."

"None taken," Golden Freddy beams, leaning back in his seat.

"We really don't want that to happen, so let's stay on track," Bonnie continues. "At most, we have an hour left."

"Now that I'm here, tell us what you have to say," Mike pipes up. "Get it over with so you can hike back to Peru and leave this terrible place. You're an awesome guy and you don't deserve to spend another second more than you need to here."

"Hmm." Giving a fake yawn, Golden Freddy stares up at Mike with his golden irises. "Well, aren't you curious as to how I came back here from Peru? Or how I tiptoed past Freddy's carefully balanced security measures covering every inch of this place? There were a ton of them, I might add."

"Well, now that you say that, I kind of am," Mike admits. _Security measures? Another several reasons that prove Freddy is a control freak. No wonder I couldn't leave the pizzeria on my own._

"Good! I'm glad you want to know. If we have time, I might tell you."

 _It's like he wants to stay here._ "Fine, but could you hurry? I don't want Freddy bursting in and killing you," Mike says. At the other animatronics' nods of agreement, Golden Freddy taps his fingers against the side of the chair.

"Alright, alright. I wouldn't want that, either. Where should I start? Oh, I know. So, Freddy kicked me out of the pizzeria. You all know that, especially you, Bonnie. My powers were transmitted to you at that time. You should've used them."

"You can tell if they've been used?" Bonnie asks, one of his ears twitching impatiently.

Nodding, Golden Freddy explains, "Now that I have the power back, it feels all bubbly and hard to control. It's like strapping a child to a seat for two days and unexpectedly letting him go. They're going to be full of energy and will want to let it all out. You at least need to use some of the power daily, or it gets unbearable to stand. Good thing that the force fields are using up a large chunk of it, always I'd be going nuts."

"Okay, go on," Bonnie urges, motioning with his hand.

"Fine. I teleported to Peru, not sure what to expect. All I knew of the place was from the book I read. Would it be that beautiful and peaceful as I thought it would? I didn't know going in. Luckily, it was just like the book. Then, there's another problem. Would the people there accept me? Imagine me popping up in front of a random tourist! How frightening, right? But they weren't surprised at my arrival."

"Why?" Bonnie asks. "Weren't you still in your suit?"

"I'll explain that later. Trust me, it's worth the wait. I'm leaving the best part for last."

 _Typical Golden Freddy,_ Mike thinks, resisting the urge to roll his eyes.

"Moving on, I spent the first day at the location of the Machu Picchu. There were tons of tourists there! I found it very exciting. When night started to come around, I transported to another place in Peru. Its name is Lima. What buildings! A very pretty place to stay at. I just snuck into a hotel room that wasn't occupied and stayed there for the night."

Mike can imagine Golden doing all of these things and feels a pinch of envy.

"The second night I walked around Lima in total relaxation. In the morning I ate and _ate._ I couldn't stop! The city is full of food, I tell you. People talked to me and shared some great advice with living in the city. Around the beach I walked, enjoying the water. After coming across lots that were for sale, I luckily found out that they were having open houses. Inside, I looked around and everyone asked me these annoying questions that I couldn't answer. People took pity on me, I think. I didn't want their feelings of pity-"

"This is making no sense at all," Bonnie interrupts. "Could you dumb it down a little? Because I can't even follow, and I'm sure the others can't, either."

At their nods, Golden Freddy sighs. "Just wait! You all are so impatient. _Let me explain_ and you'll understand. After I noticed the others showing concern for me, I started following this older gentleman around, and people must've thought I was related to him. The guy who I was following was looking for a nice home to live in. Following him to all of these houses, there's this luxurious one that caught my attention. Touring through it, there were three bathrooms, five bedrooms, and a very nice dining area, including a kitchen. And I thought, "Why not?" I kinda bought it right after the tour. The person selling the house was really surprised when I gave him a check!"

"With what money?" Bonnie accuses, narrowing his eyes. "Did you steal it from someone in the city?"

"God no! Who do you take me for?" Golden Freddy gives a mischievous smile. "I stole it from someone else."

Cocking his head, Foxy asks, "Who? Do we know t' person?"

"Very well, in fact." Golden Freddy says this while making direct eye contact with Mike, as if they're sharing a secret.

 _Is he talking about him?_ "Freddy?" Mike asks, humor entering his voice. At Golden Freddy's wide smile, Mike snorts. "The bastard has money?"

"Aye, he was rich as a human. That fortune is still in his name, even though he's technically dead," Foxy points out, lingering by Mike's side.

"Oh, he's one of those preppy guys that wear suits everywhere and talk with a certain attitude? God, I _hate_ those kind of guys," Mike mumbles. Those were the kind of guys who would pick on him at school, or would pick on anyone they thought was "lower" than them.

None of the animatronics come to Freddy's aid, leaving Mike feeling pleased. They must agree to the statement, too. But why the sudden quietness? Maybe they're reminiscing on their pasts, too. "Go on."

"Alright. The third day, I was thinking. I didn't want to come back in fear of Freddy kicking my ass, but I knew I had to do it. I mean, the only reason I bought the house was to provide a home for all of us."

"Really!?" Foxy grins hopefully, and Mike pats him on the shoulder. Bonnie whispers a thank you, a small smile on his face. Internally, Mike says thank you, and he swears he can hear a, "You're welcome," in return.

"Yes, I mean all of you," Golden Freddy smiles. "All in all, Peru is a wonderful place to live at-"

"Hold up. Can you really say that when you only lived there for three days? How would you know for sure?" Mike teases, grinning at Golden Freddy's serious stare. There's a small pause, then Golden Freddy sits up in his seat, laughter in his voice.

"Do you want to fight?"

"Not this again," Bonnie says quietly. "Another distraction to hold us up."

"Don't fight!" Foxy suddenly shouts, giving the two of them looks of sudden annoyance. Underneath that small snarl, there was a hint of something. _Jealousy?_

 _Oh, the tables have turned. What about all of those times you argued with Bonnie? I didn't say anything then. We're just having a bit of fun, Foxy._

Golden Freddy gives Foxy a knowing glance. "Fine, fine, we'll stop. I still have to continue my story, too, so I should get back on track before Freddy has my head."

"The Odyssey of Golden Freddy," Bonnie mumbles under his breath, his patience thrown out the window.

"Bonnie, I thank you for being patient with me. This next part, I know you'll all find it hard to believe," Golden Freddy assures, holding his paws up. "But it will make everything I've said earlier make sense. But just know that I'm not lying about anything. It's all the God honest truth."

"We'll see." Mike eyes the bear with his brown eyes. "I've started to believe anything is possible, living in this hellhole. Who knew that being reincarnated into animatronic suits was a thing?"

"Alright, then what about this? When I entered Peru, my suit was gone. Somehow, it just randomly disappeared. I assume it was when I was transporting myself to the place. I was back in my human body when my feet touched the ground, not a day older than the day I was killed. I was a small child, of course, but intelligent."

As Bonnie and Foxy gawk at the golden bear with their mouths open in shock, Mike dully nods. "I suspected that something weird like that would happen. I mean, we were incarnated. Something funky had to happen if we left this place."

"I thought you would be the most surprised out of all of us," Bonnie admits, his eyes excited. "Since you want to return back to your human lifestyle and all."

"I'm not surprised because there's something weird about the spirit of this place. Sometimes, I think that this whole mess is a bad dream." Sighing, Mike glances at the bunny. "At least one of my questions is answered. I was nervous about entering the human world and living with a suit as my body. At least I know that won't happen."

"I get t' go back into my human body?" Foxy whispers, his tail wagging with excitement. "I can get my hand back!"

"I forgot what I looked like as a human," Bonnie thinks aloud. "I know I had short hair and I was tall. I can't remember anything else other than that."

Something sounds off about Golden's statement, and the sudden realization makes Mike want to scream. "Wait a minute. If we leave and can turn back into our human forms, then _why the hell hasn't Freddy left?_ "

"That's a good question," Bonnie adds, shuffling from his spot by Golden's side over to Mike, leaving the yellow rabbit to feel a little crowded. "Maybe he didn't know."

"Oh he knew all right," Golden Freddy comments, standing from the chair and stretching. "He didn't want you guys to know and want any more reasons to leave."

"I feel so _pissed_ ," Mike spits, the excitement being replaced with irritation. "He led me to believe that I couldn't return to a human again! I want to punch that bastard right in the face."

"On that note, how are you going to escape? Burning it down, like I suggested?" Golden Freddy asks, leaning to the side, his bright eyes examining the empty hallway. Bonnie quickly grabs his figure and pushes him away from the view of the desolate hallway.

"I'm not sure yet. I want to escape without causing attention to myself, so Freddy won't follow us down and try to bring us back," Mike ponders.

"There's another way I used, but only one person can do it at a time, and I'm not sure about the success rate," Golden Freddy admits, shuffling his feet. "Burning it down would be the easiest choice. You've got resources all around you! Wood against wood, then there's fire. Just tear through the walls or flooring and get yourself a thick piece of wood. Make sure that everyone's by a door or an opening when you light the fire so you can escape without worrying about Freddy. Maybe you should make sure that anyone you don't want with us is in the back rooms or something. Chica and Freddy, yes?"

"I want Chica to come with us. I don't want her to live alone with that bastard," Mike spits, imagining her lonely frame against the window, misery written over her face. "She helped me out a lot when I was first changed into an animatronic, and I will never forget her kindness. We've got to sway her mind about leaving and convince her of Freddy's nonexistent kindness."

"She's sailing t' sea with us," Foxy states proudly, glancing at Mike with hopeful eyes. "Right?"

"Yeah! I told you that several times."

"Am I invited? A four year old can't do much without any adults," Golden Freddy chuckles. "In Peru, I got away with it because of that old dude I followed around."

 _But you bought a house?_ At Golden Freddy's cheeky smirk, Mike knows that he heard the remark. "Sure, just don't be annoying like all four year olds are."

"I already told you that my body doesn't matter! It's what's up here, in my mind."

"Do four year olds still poop their pants?" Mike chuckles, Foxy laughing along with him. "Please don't tell me we're going to have to put a diaper on you."

Watching their bickering, Bonnie shakes his head, a small smile on his face. Now that Golden Freddy has said the important piece he wanted to tell them, Bonnie doesn't feel any worry about Freddy finding them. Golden Freddy can just teleport whenever Freddy draws near. It'll all be fine. Freddy will never know.

Inside his heart, Bonnie wants to go back into his human body, but there are some doubts. "What if my terrible personality comes back?" he whispers under his breath. What if he turns back into the monster he used to be? Will he be abandoned by the others if they see his true personality?

But he needs the freedom, just like Mike so dearly wishes. He knows that Chica will come around, too, when she learns about getting their human bodies back. There's a long story about her past that's too long and troubling to explain, something that she needs to share herself.

With her acceptance, they could get away with sneaking out and the spirit not affecting them. But Freddy would feel their presences leaving, so how would that turn out?

If the time comes when they really need it, when they're almost free but they need a little something extra for that final push, Bonnie knows a place in the basement where the gasoline is kept.


	9. Part 9

**A/N: I really wish that all of you that don't have accounts would make one so I could personally message you back when you write a review. Every comment means a lot, and I really mean that. I want to thank each and every one of you that take your time to leave a review :)**

* * *

It's been four months since Mike's death. Months packed with frustration, helplessness, and complete hatred for the bear responsible for this chaos. What type of life is being cooped up forever and not experiencing new things? It's like playing a game and knowing you're going to lose. What's the point?

The only way you're going to win is by cheating. By taking a chance and risking _everything._

Maybe today there will be a change in this unfair game.

Quietness envelopes the pizzeria. _Time to move._ Like what they had talked about the night before and several nights before that, Mike slides the book about Peru back under the main stage, his ears perked for any noises. If Freddy happened to walk in, he wouldn't suspect anything off. Mike could quickly take out the book again and pretend to read, acting like he wasn't about to act upon something that Freddy would definitely not approve of.

Using Golden Freddy's advice, a plan has been under way for weeks. Something that Chica and Freddy do not have any idea about and that they would never suspect. Mainly, it's due to Freddy trusting Bonnie and telling him every crook and cranny of the place. Who knew that there's gas in the basement, or that there even is a basement? One particular place Freddy told Bonnie about is the focus of their attention.

Mike sees it as a secret passageway in the game. This place is 'secret' no doubt. Well, it used to be before Bonnie told Mike and Foxy about it. And what better time than now, when the spirit isn't reliable anymore?

Since the golden bear's departure from his 'secret' break in, the spirit's been loopy. Their internal animatronic 'radar' has been off, Bonnie's power faltering, and Freddy's look of frustration slowly intensifying when he wants to know what the others are thinking, but he can't. It seems like Golden Freddy took a chunk of the spirit with him when he returned back to Peru, where his rich house is waiting for him. _Them._

Living in a nice house by the beach is what's motivating Mike. Being away from the hell in this place and starting over somewhere anew. With the trees swaying in the breeze, the smell of clean water, and the carelessness of everyday life without any worries. There wouldn't be any struggle of money and taking crap jobs for meager pay like being the night guard for a haunted pizzeria. A nice and easy life it will be, surrounded by his animatronic 'friends'.

He can even send money to his mom in the mail. He might even ask her to move away from this town, too. _She deserves to live somewhere better. Also, she can get away from my dad's memories throughout our house._

An added bonus is that he can get his human body back. His hearing will decline alongside with his eyesight and his body will become weaker, but it will all be worth it. There will be dark hair on his head and smooth skin he can touch, proving that he is human.

 _I'm curious about what the others look like as humans,_ Mike thinks, leaning up against the side of the stage. In his mind, Bonnie is the tall, silent type that brings a bag filled with random crap everywhere. It would be slung casually over one shoulder, black or grey in color. He would have large eyes and a toothy smile. Foxy's wild hair would be kept in a ponytail, maybe a rubber band, and he would be medium height. But he'd be a good jumper and catch you off guard with an unexpected weight on your back, forcing you to give him a piggyback ride. An excellent tree climber he would be, with his strong legs. Chica, maybe a little bigger in size, would have blonde, beautiful hair that others would feel the urge to touch often. She would shyly glance away at the compliments and pretend that they were never said, not sure how to respond.

 _But that's just my imagination. I have nothing else to do, so why not._

Climbing onto the main stage, he sighs at the empty room. Foxy's supposed to be here by now with news of Freddy's whereabouts. This is the crucial part. Freddy _has_ to be away from them when they do their plan. Bonnie's quote went something like this; "If Freddy finds out, then we're screwed."

Well, who wouldn't be in trouble if they were caught in someone's personal space? It's like having a sibling and walking into their room. You'll be hit if they walk in and catch you snooping through their things. Especially if you're flipping through personal items, say a diary or text messages on their phone from a lover.

"Mike!" Foxy's voice hisses, shrill against the quietness of the room. By the sound of it, he's around the corner. Leaping off the stage and quietly landing on his toes, Mike pads over, almost colliding into a table, and spots Foxy hiding in the shadows. Mike beams when he sees Foxy's tail wagging. _Something good happened._

"It's all clear," Foxy whispers, hook slashing through the air in excitement. _Isn't he having the time of his life,_ Mike thinks sarcastically. "He's away with Chica. They're in t' kitchen doing somethin'. Come on, Bonnie's waitin'!"

Like when Goldie was here, Mike obediently follows Foxy past the Pirate's Cove and down near the guard's office. Their feet make scratchy noises as they walk down the hallway from the dirt below. It's rough against Mike's feet, annoying and slinking between his toes.

Somehow, the dirt and scruff has begun to sink back into the pizzeria. It's strange, because everything was clean a few weeks ago. Ever since Goldie left, no one has cleaned. Maybe they now realize it's all a waste of time. And even if they did take the time to clean the debris away, it would repeat the process over and over again. Eventually, the place will rot, regardless of the amount of cleaning. It's what happens to everything. Nothing can remain alive and healthy forever.

Mike's brown eyes spot Bonnie's figure against the wall right outside the guard's office. Approaching him, Bonnie's head snaps backwards and his expression calms when he sees them. _He probably thought it was Freddy._

With curiosity, Mike watches Bonnie touch the wall with his paw, like he's looking for something hidden.

"I think it's around here," he mumbles, his eyes scanning the wall.

"What part of the plan is this?" Mike whispers, his ears twitching. If he concentrates hard enough, he can hear specs of Freddy's and Chica's conversation from many rooms away. It sounds like they're talking about desserts, brownies in particular. It shows how good his hearing is, something he'll definitely yearn for when he returns to a human.

Eavesdropping is one of the most fun things to take part in, especially with Foxy. It's something that would make him still feel connected to the outside world. Before FazCockSucker literally broke the window from ever opening again (which happened when Mike fell asleep and he flipped shit when he woke up and found out), him and Foxy would eavesdrop on the people across the street taking walks. Sometimes they were alone with their dog, others in groups, gossiping about something unimportant. How many interesting things they heard from those sessions are uncountable, and Mike made Foxy laugh a lot by describing what the people said in very disturbing ways. Foxy had this boyish laugh that was never annoying to hear.

Bonnie smiles when his paw runs over something in the wall. It's entirely unnoticeable, just a tiny bump in the wall, and the only way to be able to see it is to be aware that it's even there. Just looking at the wall and not looking for anything in particular, it would be impossible to notice.

"Part one of the plan. I've found the latch, now watch carefully. You need to pull it out and pull it downwards. There are secret levers placed inside of the walls that allow this to happen. Believe me, I wasn't convinced when Freddy told me, so you'll have to wait and see for yourself. From up above, the wall will open and a ladder will fall out. It's one of those really old ladders. Freddy said that sometimes it felt like it would break when he climbed it, so be careful."

"I wonder what he does up there," Foxy wonders aloud, his eyes trained on the ceiling, waiting for something to happen. His words are innocent, but Mike's mind is less than innocent.

"Wait, you guys _don't know?_ " Mike snorts, imagining Freddy doing all sorts of things up in the room. _There's a reason why he doesn't want anyone up there. Maybe it's something that would embarrass himself if the others found out?_

They both shake their heads in reply, totally clueless. Bonnie doesn't attempt to look inside Mike's mind. He lost control of the spirit days ago.

"He's probably doing weird things. You never know, maybe he has a secret kink and his dungeon's up here."

Bonnie wrinkles his nose at the unwelcome image in his head, pulling downwards on the lever with a paw, while Foxy shakes his head. "You come up with t' weirdest things, Mike," the fox states quietly, offering a smile. "But they're t' most original, and I can't complain about that."

"People tend to act the same in fear of being ridiculed," Bonnie suddenly adds, his voice far away. "I wasn't like that at all when I was human. I was who I wanted to be and didn't care what others thought."

"When I was a human?" Mike repeats with dismay, staring up at the ceiling. It's moving, uncovering something dark, a hole big enough for one person to fit through at a time. It's comparable to those action and spy movies where something outrageous happens, but this time it's happening _right in Mike's face_ , more real than ever. Entirely unknown of what's inside, Mike can't help but feel a little bit of fear. What if there's something up there that's dangerous? Or, something that has to do with the spirit?

If only Mike had an idea of what would be in that room. But he has Foxy and Bonnie right beside him, so he should be fine. At least if something happens to him, the others will blame Freddy. It's bad enough that he kept this secret area and several rooms of the pizzeria secret from Chica and Foxy.

"What about now? Has Freddy created you into something you're not?" Mike continues at Bonnie's silence.

"No…" But Bonnie's diversion of eye contact shows the truth. Foxy doesn't pipe up in favor of gawking at the ceiling. He glances excitedly at Mike, his eyes glowing brightly.

"This is a whole new adventure! Mike, take t' lead!" Foxy whispers, his body shaking with excitement. When the ceiling was moving, bits of dust fell from the ceiling and landed on Foxy's head like little pieces of snow. "Lead us!"

"Alright," Mike agrees. Even if Foxy didn't want Mike to take the lead, he still would've. If there is something unholy or dangerous upstairs, he'll be able to warn the others to get away.

All of them look at the hole in the ceiling and as the ladder sluggishly falls from the darkness. Mike catches the dusty ladder and sets the bottom of it firmly onto the ground and places a foot onto it. Shakily, it creaks. From the ground, it's around a thirteen foot climb. "Freddy can fit his fat ass through that tiny opening?" he comments, climbing the ladder and staring at the darkness up ahead.

"I don't know how he fits it," Foxy laughs, leaping up onto the ladder next. In his excitement, his hook lodges into the wood and he rips it out with a grunt, shaking the whole ladder.

"What is going on down there?" Mike throws over his shoulder. "It feels like an earthquake."

"Got my hook stuck," Foxy explains, his wagging tail hitting Bonnie in the face. Grumbling, the rabbit brushes it away.

At the top of the ladder and head poking into the room, Mike's brown eyes cut through the pitch black darkness. It's a weird location and it makes a chill go through Mike's body. Something's _off_.

Scanning the area, Mike grumbles when he can't make out anything. Since Freddy's eyes are more adapted for the darkness, he doesn't need light to move around without crashing into everything. But they do, and Mike blindly finds his way away from the opening into the room to allow the others to enter. Luckily, he doesn't run into anything. As he waits for the others to enter, he crinkles his nose at the musky smell.

A realization hits him and he's tempted to scream. He almost forgot.

Another advantage about being an animatronic is that self-inflicted pain isn't allowed, other than fire. Reaching down into his throat, his fingers digging deep and touching the metal frame of his endoskeleton, Mike makes a small choking noise at the unfamiliar feeling and pulls out a flashlight from the depths of his esophagus. Earlier in the day, he swallowed it and kept it lodged in the bottom of his throat. In all honesty, it didn't hurt at all swallowing the thing or pulling it back out.

Clicking the powerful flashlight on, Mike scans the dusty room and waves a hand in front of his face, dust swirling in his wake. It swarms up his nose and urges him to sneeze. _What a disgusting environment._ "This place is nasty. Does he ever clean it?" _And why isn't there any windows? What happens if there's a fire and someone's trapped up here?_

"Well, like ya said, it is kinda his dungeon," Foxy comments, walking on all fours like the fox he is. He looks a lot more animalistic when he walks like that, Mike can admit. "Maybe he wanted it t' look like this."

"I didn't mean a dungeon like what you're thinking of. I'm talking about a sexu-"

"Mike, please stop. I don't want unnecessary images lodged into my brain," Bonnie interrupts, forcing a hand down his throat. _He must've got a flashlight, too._

While he gets his flashlight, Foxy closes the hole, leaving the room in complete darkness except for the light of their eyes and beam of the flashlights.

Now that they're safe for the moment, Mike takes the time to examine his surroundings with the flashlight. Even though Freddy has his own 'office' on the main floor, this one above must be the more personal of the two. He can say this because furniture covers the room, covering much of the small space. Mike recognizes it as the furniture back in Golden Freddy's memory, with the Fazbear Diner. Certain drawings are taped to the furniture, kid's drawings of the Fazbear gang. On the backs of the paper are kid's names, probably the ones who drew the particular picture.

"This place is creepy," Foxy admits. His body disappears as he searches underneath the furniture.

"And messy," Bonnie adds, flicking on his flashlight. "I'm going to look at the furniture with Foxy. Something isn't right about this." His hand touches the cushion of an old, purple couch. "Why didn't Freddy let these old things go? Why is he still holding onto them?"

"Beats me. I'm going to look over here, okay?"

At Bonnie's nod, Mike starts in the opposite direction, careful not to trip over anything.

The only clean space in the whole room is a desk off to the side, all of its drawers having a lock on the outside. That immediately catches Mike's attention. _There's something that he doesn't want us to see._

But something else does, too. It's placed on the top of the desk, close to the wall. Approaching it and almost tripping over a discarded chair, Mike feels his head become light. Carefully, he touches the frame of the thin board with curiosity. On the desk are pictures upon pictures of real life people. Some in color, others in black and white. Adults ranging to kids, it covered a large stretch of time. The pictures are carefully glued to a small picture board, except some of them have pins through the top. The ones with pins look more beaten down than the others.

Who are these people in the pictures? What connection do they have with Freddy? _What even is this?_ As he stares at each photo carefully, his jaw hangs open in surprise as his eyes examine one particular picture.

The person smack in the middle of the display, placed there for a reason unknown to Mike, is a picture of himself as a human. Next to him is a picture of his mom. The edges are frayed, as if someone constantly took it in their hands and stared at it.

"Whatcha' lookin' at?" Foxy asks, popping up next to him on his two feet. Spotting the pictures on the desk, his eyes widen. "That isn't right. Freddy said that he doesn't have any pictures o' us."

"What else do you expect from that stupid ass? And why the hell is my picture out in the open? He didn't put any effort in hiding it!" Mike exclaims, feeling uncomfortable. How many hours did Freddy come up here and stare at these pictures? "It's like he wanted me to find it."

"This is the first time I've been up here, and I have a feeling that there's something worse in here than those pictures. Let's look inside of the desk and see what we can find," Bonnie suggests carefully, approaching them from behind.

"Where are the damn keys?" Mike asks, eyes scanning the area. On the wall there's a key hook, but no keys are to be found. "He could've hid it anywhere."

"I can use my hook," Foxy suggests. At Mike's wary glance, he explains, "My hook can open up basically any lock. I'm an expert at pickin' locks."

"Does Freddy know that?" Mike asks. "Because if he does, then he would've already put precautionary measures on them."

"I never told him, so he shouldn't." Placing his hook in the top drawer's lock, Foxy moves it around for a while and smiles when there's a small _click_. "Got it."

The drawer opens and they huddle around, examining what's inside. There's only one object; a book. Flipping the cover open, Mike reads off what the first page says.

"This diary belongs to Frederick. That's Freddy's human name, isn't it?" _This is going to be important. Better hide it._

Foxy and Bonnie share a glance while Mike swallows the diary, shoving it down his throat. Freddy won't suspect a thing. "The next one. Foxy?"

Taking the initiative, Foxy unlocks the next drawer and opens it. Inside, the only thing is a pile of folders. There are four of them, clearly labeled. 'Bonnie, Chica, Foxy, Mike.' Pulling out the first folder labeled 'Bonnie', Bonnie reads the paperwork inside and gasps. "Mike, read this."

After reading it, Mike gives Bonnie a long look. _This_ _is getting more and more strange…_ "What the hell does this mean? How could he know about that kind of stuff?"

Foxy, not having any idea of what it says, asks, "What is it?"

"They're papers…" Mike starts, wondering what his folder says.

"On us," Bonnie finishes, snatching the papers from the folder and holding them up to his nose, his eyes dashing over the words. "This one tells the information on me, my facial looks, weight, and information on my family. Mine was updated exactly a year ago." His teeth bare and he snarls loudly.

From below, Mike swears he hears the creak of someone walking, but he doesn't tell Bonnie to hush.

"He told us he didn't know anything new about our family! He was lying to us the whole time?" Bonnie whispers, his ears twitching. Mike suspects he heard the noise, too.

"WHAT!? Does he have one on me? Does he know about my father?" Foxy asks.

"All of us. You, me, Mike, Chica. Since he lied about this, I've gotta wonder what else he has lied about. Mike, could I read off yours and see if it's correct?" At his quick nod, Bonnie fishes out his folder and reads aloud the last part of the page. "Updated recently due to complications. Father living with current girlfriend. Mother living alone, worries about son every day. She thinks he has left because he wants to find his father. She blames herself for everything that's happened."

"It's not her fault! She had nothing to do with it," Mike grumbles, misery filling his chest at the image of his mother crying at her bedside. "Could you read someone else's file? Mine's too depressing"

"Sure," Bonnie agrees, eyes flicking over the files. "Foxy, do you want me to look at yours and see if your dad's still alive?"

"Yes please."

"Hm." Scanning the paper, he frowns. "He's dead. Was killed two years ago in a motor accident. Died at the hospital. His last wish was to see his son."

"He did suck at drivin'," Foxy adds under his breath.

"See, this is the creepy part. How does Freddy know all of the personal details about all of this? That's an invasion of privacy," Mike hisses. "What about Chica? Does she have anything on hers?"

Opening Chica's folder, Bonnie reads the first paper on the top. Like a light bulb, Bonnie's expression hardens, and his eyes glint with malice. "Chica, _oh my god._ "

"What?" Mike doesn't have a clue what Bonnie's upset about, but it must be something bad.

Smashing past them and ripping the lever toward his chest, uncovering the hole in the wall, he jumps out of Freddy's secret office and onto the main floor.

The two stare at him, not sure what's going on. "Before we go, can you open these locks and see what's inside?" Mike asks, smacking Foxy's back "But hurry, we need to see this. Something's about to go _down_."

"FREDDY! YOU COME HERE! EXPLAIN THIS TO MY FACE, YOU LIAR!" Bonnie hoarsely screams, his voice malfunctioning at the loud volume.

"I don't know what he's mad about, but it's kinda scarin' me," Foxy admits, unlocking the locks swiftly. Much to their disappointment, nothing's there. The only thing that was in the huge desk was papers on them and a diary. Mike silently promises himself to leaf through every page of the diary and try to _understand_ why Freddy would do this to them.

"Let's find out. You go first," Mike offers.

Foxy quickly jumps out of Freddy's secret office, his feet smacking into the ground. Now alone, Mike glances at the pictures on the board. Of himself, smiling, and of his mother, holding a tray of cookies and grinning. This is not a correct portrayal of their life, and Mike finds himself frowning. His mother's smile is forced, being different than her usual tired expression. She was always worried about something underneath those fake smile. And his own grin? What a lie.

Grabbing the pictures, Mike rips them from their place on the board. Placing them onto the dusty surface of the desk, he firstly rips his own picture. This picture depicts one part of the story, an unrealistic view. Then he attacks his mother's picture. There's not a chance he will allow Freddy to stare at it any longer.

Down below, he can hear Chica's labored breathing and Freddy's large feet. Already he can sense the altercation. Before he hops down and joins the others, the pictures are indistinguishable, now correct portrayals of their screwed up and undirected lives. They're scattered on the desk, onto the floor, everywhere.

Now away from that depressing room, Mike can finally breathe. The situation in front of sends a small wave of shock through his system. Bonnie's in Freddy's face, his ears alert and fists clenched on the papers. Chica's behind Freddy, and when she tries to go around Freddy's huge body, he seems to shuffle with her movements, halting her from getting a direct look at Bonnie or the papers. The air is tense. The perfect moment to make everything tumble around them for good.

 _Maybe I wasn't chosen for this job, but Bonnie. If Faz starts attacking him, then I will fight. Foxy will join along, too. And this bad news will probably sway Chica into attacking Freddy._

"Tell us, Bonnie, what you found out. We all want to know," Mike asks, crossing his arms. Foxy leans beside him, his eyes flicking between Freddy and Bonnie.

"I will. Chica needs to know," Bonnie spits out. "She has a right to know."

Freddy takes a step forward until his and Bonnie's face are mere inches apart. "You will not do this to her. I needed to keep this secret for everyone's good. I have to preserve what's important."

 _What's important?_ "Keep what secret? You're giving yourself away, dumbass," Mike adds, temper entering his voice. _I'm tired of all these secrets and lies. We're not in a soap opera._

"What are you keeping from me?" Chica squawks, her eyes narrowing with suspicion. Her naturally sweet demeanor is gone, replaced by something dire.

They all look towards Bonnie. Freddy braces his body, his eyes set on Bonnie, daring him to tell the 'secret'.

 _What is he going to say?_ Bonnie did say that Freddy had kept tabs on their families. It's about her family, more than likely. What could Bonnie have to say? That someone died? Or, was it worse than that? _Please, don't let this info damage Chica. Don't let it break her down and kill her internally. Let it light a flame in her that will only be quelled with revenge._

The room is quiet with everything waiting for Bonnie to say _something._

"Your sister is alive."

Mike and Foxy flinch when Chica lets out a wail. She slaps away Freddy's arms as they try to touch and comfort her. Backing away from them, her eyes shine. By Freddy's expression on his face, she knows that Bonnie's words are true. "At least she's alive," she whispers under her breath, the picture of her sister filling her mind. It's a comfort to know, but still, Freddy lied for _all of those years._

Her face crumples at this realization. "Freddy, you made me believe that she was dead!" she sobs. "That's why I didn't want to leave! But she's alive. I'M GOING TO LEAVE AND FIND HER, YOU HEAR ME!?" She screams the last part right in Freddy's face. "I HATE YOU!"

Then she's slapping Freddy and kicking him. The others watch with misery as she sobs, letting out her frustration. If Mike wasn't counting on Freddy to attack her and seal the deal, he would've already joined the fight and kicked his ass.

"Chica, please-" Freddy starts, covering his face from her fists.

"Don't ever talk to me again!" The words are broken with pain. Not only did she lose faith in Freddy, but she lost her father figure. She lost one of her best friends.

Wiping her eyes, she breaks away from them and dashes down the hallway, leaving them to all stare after her in complete sorrow.

And just like when Mike ripped up his own picture, the image of her Freddy, the kind and caring bear that always did the best for everyone, was ripped along with it.


	10. Part 10

**A/N: Just wanted to say a quick thank you to everyone that reads this story and leaves comments. We're slowly nearing the end, and your guys' continued support has made this former one-shot into something more like a novel. :) Again, thank you, and I hope you enjoy this chapter.**

* * *

Slamming the kitchen door behind her, Chica lets out another sob and leans against the wall. The altercation outside sounds heated, causing her to lock the door. The image of them crashing through the door and berating her fills her mind. She does _not_ want to talk to anyone right now.

A resonating slap echoes down the hallway. Then there's a cry, undoubtedly Mike's. Is Freddy hurting him?

Slowly, she backs up from the door and collapses in one of the table's chairs. The table is a nice one and comfortable enough to fall asleep on. She's done this many times, and she wants to sleep and escape from this painful reality, but the cries outside the thin walls cause a pounding in her head. There's not a chance she can sleep, and the cries tug at her heart, but she doesn't do anything. The thought of going back outside and facing them after her mini breakdown isn't something she wants to do.

Anyways, she's not in a state to worry about what's going on outside, nor does she want to know. The only thing she can feel is the betrayal and pain rip at her chest at Bonnie's words and Freddy's expression of shock. If it was untrue, Freddy would've reacted differently, and his expression wouldn't have looked so _guilty_.

 _Why_ would he keep that from her?

"This doesn't make any sense!" she wails, slamming a fist onto the table. It makes a small dent in the wood. "He should've told me… Why didn't he? He led me through all of these years, making me believe that she committed suicide."

An image of her little sister pops into her head, the skinny, blonde girl with a pretty face. She was nothing like her older sister, the fat one that would rather watch movies or read than go to the football games. Sure, they had some facial similarities, but other than that, they were two completely different people. But somehow, the sisters shared something special, even though they had opposite personalities.

Her younger sister's name is Cheyenne, and no amount of years living in separation from the world could erase that detail from Chica's head. Thinking of her sister, now that she knows she's alive, brings Chica joy and a sense of direction. The pain temporarily leaves her chest, and the resonating pounding in her head halts.

More than likely Cheyenne moved out of her parent's house and got one of her own. The family business is in town, a few easy miles to walk. Could she be sitting in a desk so close by, continuing on what their parents treasured? That's _if_ she stayed with the family business. Another option is that she could've left town and started over somewhere else. That's what Chica would've done.

She _will_ find Cheyenne. It won't be easy, but Chica will do it. _What if she has a family?_ she thinks. _And a husband? How will that go? What if I find my sister and tell her it's me, would she hate me? Does she believe that I disappeared, and what the others think, and what she probably does, too, that I committed suicide? Will she believe me when I tell her my story?_

Dispelling those unfavorable thought, Chica notices the lack of sound outside and braces herself for Freddy to barge in and apologize, just like he did with Mike. Those apologies will be all for waste. Those past days of trusting Freddy are so _over._

"Chica?"

Luckily, it's not Freddy's voice. This voice brings her little joy, for she knows that he would be curious. He's the only one that doesn't know her past.

"Mike? Is that you?" she asks. A particularly nasty thing that Freddy could be doing is using someone else's voice box with the spirit's powers. He's done it once before, when she was upset, and he mocked Bonnie's voice perfectly. She had allowed him in, thinking it was Bonnie, but she would not fall for it again.

"It's me." After a pause, Mike asks, "Could I come in?"

"Sure," she sniffles, wiping the last of her tears. _Tears? When exactly could I cry? Strange things are happening now. Is Mike the cause of this? If not, then who is?_

Standing and unlocking the door, Chica falls back into her seat and waits for Mike to enter. He isn't attempting to enter yet. Maybe he's making sure no one else is around, Freddy for sure, to see him slip into the kitchen.

Internally, Chica braces herself for the question.

Finally entering and locking the door, Mike sits beside Chica and sighs. There's something nasty on his face that's starting to darken like a storm cloud. "From _you know who,_ " he explains after Chica gapes at it. "Apparently, he was too stressed out and decided to take it out on whoever was nearby. Which was me."

"Everything's falling apart," Chica whispers. In the past, there were no tears. Freddy held her hand and made her smile, like the father figure he stood for. Her internal spirit worked on her command. "Everything's turned sour. I knew that it would turn out this way. After Bonnie and Foxy had a fight, something told me that things were changing. But I chose to ignore it."

Stretching out his legs, Mike glances at the ceiling. It's nothing striking, just a plain wall. But when he looks closer, he can spot the cracks on the sides and the imperfections. "You suspected it would happen because you _knew_ it would happen. At the time, you probably weren't aware that you knew, but your subconscious knew. Does that even make sense?"

"Yeah, it actually does." Chica's lip twitches, but a smile doesn't form.

"Good. I hate sounding crazy."

A beat of silence passes, the two of them in their own little worlds. Then, Mike turns towards Chica, his eyes serious. "You were the last one that needed to understand that Freddy wasn't the person he tries portray himself to be. He might act all professional, but underneath the act, he's this total douche. Upstairs, when we were looking through his desk and found the folders, he had this board with these pictures. They were of random people, and I was on there, right in the middle of it all. My mom was on there, too. Why would he have a picture of me, no less my mom, on the board? His behavior is unnatural. It makes me curious about how twisted he is up here." Mike points to his head. "I'm just glad that you finally are seeing past the illusion that he made you believe."

Nodding softly, Chica adds quietly, "And he ruined it with lies of my sister. The one topic that I'm the most sensitive about, he decides to keep from me."

With his attention all on Chica, Mike tentatively says, "Could you tell me about your sister?"

There's the question she was expecting. Chica knows what he's asking by that carefully worded question. _Why are you so emotional over your sister? What really happened?_ Mike is trustworthy, and she feels the uncertainty drain from her body. She shouldn't question his loyalty, because he knew about Freddy's true nature from the start!

"I will," she assures. "Do you want to hear it now?"

"Yeah, if that's okay with you."

"Okay. I hope you're ready to hear everything, because I'm letting it all out." When Mike doesn't say anything, she takes a long breath. "Well, as you know, I have a younger sister. Her name's Cheyenne. There was something about her that attracted people to her. Being in dance, she had a skinny, flexible body and she had this pretty face. She was very different from me in speech and dress, even friends, but we shared this unbreakable bond. She was my everything. But the only thing we had in common was our blonde hair and our blood."

Mike's eyes don't waver from hers; he's caught up in the story, imagining a girl named Cheyenne alongside her sister on a hill somewhere, being in utter peace. Their blonde hair sways in the wind, long and free.

Eyes lost in the past, Chica continues, "I was the fat sister. I guess you could say the 'ugly' sister because I couldn't compare with her. Everyone I knew favored her over me, even some of my closest friends. _Why?_ You're probably wondering. Maybe it was due to my weight or what my personality was like, I'm not sure. Constantly, I ate and dreamed of being a professional chef. An excuse I would make when my parents asked my why I ate so much was that I would practice my cooking skills and not let any food I made go to waste. Cheyenne ate a little bit of it, but it was mostly me. Another special relationship I had, other than with my sister, was food. I loved it."

Mike can feel a sense of dread rise in his stomach. He has a feeling of what's coming, but he forces himself to listen and hear the whole explanation.

"I was fat and bullied at school for it. One of those typical bully stories, right? But coming here to die in this pizzeria wasn't all because of that. My parents ran this family business and wanted me and Cheyenne to take over. She was all for it, but I didn't want to. I wanted to become a professional chef. At first, my parents let it go, saying that my dream was childish and that I would grow out of it. Then, when they realized I was dead serious about it, kept bothering me about it, until arguments were breaking out almost every day. That pressure eventually got to me. I was banned from cooking at home. I was forced to ride with my dad to work and watch as his employers worked hard for him, apparently to learn how his business worked. I watched them carefully and noticed several things. Why weren't they smiling at all? Why didn't their desks have any family pictures? They didn't have any time for anything other than work. They worked _all the time_. But for what? They didn't seem like they enjoyed it at all. I didn't want to be sucked down into that terrible future, and so I resisted."

Mike imagines the two sisters on the hill. Storm clouds appear, raining down on the two. One of the sisters holds out her hand, and the other clutches onto it with visible strength.

"My sister wanted what was best for me, but she _wasn't_ defending me. She would watch as I walked out of the house to look for somewhere else to cook and escape from another trip of going to my parent's work. One night, after a day where I was severely bullied because of my weight and my parents were just done yelling at me, Cheyenne entered my room. Of course she looked perfect, with her long blonde hair in two braids. I don't know what she was doing before she walked into my room, and I've been thinking about that ever since it happened. Was she thinking about me? Or my parents? Or was she talking to her friends on the phone? I'll never know for sure."

Glancing at the door, Chica continues, "She finally made me snap. "Why don't you start accepting your future and focus on what's planned for you? Maybe the reason why everything is falling apart is because _you_ need to change, whether it's your attitude or your-" And then she stopped, but I knew she was talking about my weight. We were oddly silent for while, then I stood up from my bed and said to her, "I'd rather kill myself than accept this 'future' that you all want me to have. The only thing that's holding me together is creating food and you, Cheyenne. But just like everything else, that was all taken from me because I'm apparently not good enough to make my own decisions. I'm not good enough, period!"

The image of the two sisters in Mike's head starts to blur. One of them releases her hold and starts walking down the hill, where all the storms are starting. The other sister, the younger one, calls out, but the older one doesn't look back.

""I bet no one would miss me if I was gone," I said to her. I was angry and wanted to hurt her. Her response was the last thing she ever said to me. "Maybe so. You aren't popular at school and you're always bullied, but I would always miss you. If you let me, I can _help_ you through all of this. We can both start over and start from scratch." She then touched one of her braids, and I noticed how her words were lies. She would always be the beautiful one, the one that everyone loved. She could change, but I never would. Even if I lost the weight, my bullies would find something else to target about me. I would never become a chef. Essentially, I would still be the same. I pushed her out of the way when I left my room. It was getting dark out, and no one other than me and Cheyenne was home. My parents decided to leave the house after I argued with them. It's sad that an argument was my last words towards them. Before I left, I called out to Cheyenne, "Maybe this will be the last time you see me." I didn't get an answer in return. She probably didn't believe me."

Swallowing, Chica struggles with the last few parts of the stories that are engraved into her head. "I went on a long walk. I remember it was really windy, and my hair kept flying into my face. I was pissed at everything, and I wanted to _give up_. When I passed by the pizzeria, back in its former glory, it was very dark out. I was across town and far away from my house. There wasn't a chance I would get home in a decent hour. I thought, 'why not?' and decided to camp out in the pizzeria to scare my sister and my parents. _They should worry_ , I thought."

"Entering the place, I was scared, but I roamed around and found the kitchen. There was lots of dough, and I felt happy and excited. I knew that after I stayed one night here, I would come back again to cook. There was so much to create in the nice, clean kitchen. I was in heaven. I created pizza after pizza, and I became tired. My eyes kept drooping, and my body felt oddly tired. Not a usual case of being tired, but I felt weighed down by something. When Freddy crept up behind me, I swore I was dreaming. Animatronics couldn't move like a human, could they? I wasn't really surprised, either, like it was natural that animatronics tried to talk to me. He asked me, "You're a good cook. What's your name?" After giving him my name, he smiled. "I know all about you, and I know that this kitchen was meant for you. Would you like to cook forever?" Thinking I was in a dream, I agreed, not thinking anything of it. If I thought it was in reality, I would've said no. Then, I remember nothing but awakening and possessing this costume. Freddy killed me and reincarnated me without my full consent, something I haven't told anyone about."

A crestfallen look passes Chica's face. "I wasn't really sad about it, because I liked being here. Everyone asked me to do what I loved- cooking something tasty and watching others enjoy it. But I still worried about my sister. I wanted to see her again and explain that _I wasn't dead, that I was still alive but in a different body,_ but Freddy disagreed. He didn't want me to leave. I kept at it. I didn't want my little sister believing that I committed suicide like I hinted at that night. I couldn't bear it. That's when Freddy must've devised a plan to shut me up about my sister and force me to stay here. He told me that the spirit told him that my little sister, depressed because of my death and blaming herself for everything, killed herself using a rope. I cried and cried, imagining her hanging from the rope, her eyes blank…"

Chica covers her face, not allowing herself to cry over something that _didn't happen._ "I believed that for so many years, that it's hard to believe that she's still alive out there somewhere. I have to find her, Mike. I need to tell her that I didn't kill myself and that I still think about her every day."

"We need to leave this place," Mike agrees, his voice emotional from Chica's painful confession. "As soon as possible. I'm tired of wasting my life in this shithole." As an afterthought, he adds, "I've noticed something, too."

"What is it?"

"Haven't you noticed that Freddy isn't as obsessed with me as he once was?"

 _I guess so,_ Chica thinks. Comparing Freddy when Mike first entered and the Freddy today, there's an obvious change. _Like I said, everything's becoming strange._

"His interest in me has faded, like I'm some toy that's gotten boring. He's letting go. Soon enough, he will let go of all of us when we leave." Mike frowns, his face scrunched up with disgust. "His interest in all of us, his little 'family', will leave, too. Then there's the question of Freddy leaving the pizzeria. If we can, then he can, too. But by God, I will use what's left of the spirit and force him to stay here. No way in hell is he going to Peru with us and following us around, sulking and whining. Either he stays here, or we kill him."

Suddenly, there's a click and the doorknob shudders. Mike's words are cut off as Foxy and Bonnie burst into the room. The way Foxy holds up his hook like a prize, it's obvious how it was unlocked. His eyes turn serious as he spots Chica.

"Hey guys, join the party," Mike calls out, motioning for them to huddle around the table. "Chica and I have been talking about how we're going to escape."

"Really? All I heard was, "We kill him," and that's not a bad idea," Bonnie admits, closing and locking the door behind him. The way he stomps around shows how pissed he is over Freddy. "Good timing, right? We made sure that Freddy was far away before coming inside here."

Foxy cautiously sits beside Chica and touches her shoulder, his eyes searching her face.

"I'm fine," she whispers, and Foxy gives her a look of disbelief. Even he knows that she's lying. "Just give me some time. It's been quite a night."

"Who are we killin'?" Foxy asks, and the three of them give him a long, sarcastic stare.

"Really?" Mike's eyes are deadpan. "Isn't it obvious?"

"Oh, okay." Ears drooping, he stares at the ground.

" _Not you_!" Mike exclaims, tempted to shake the fox. "Fazdouche. His dictatorship will end soon enough. He can't rule a place where there isn't anyone else but himself."

"We've got to leave," Chica pipes up, her voice suddenly strong. She gives each and every male in the room a quick glance, her eyes proof of her serious statement. "We need to get out of this cage and explore what's really out there. _We can't be afraid of living,_ you guys! We need to become human again and join Golden Freddy. Maybe we can find the people we used to love in the human world, like my sister. We have to try!"

The three boys smile; there's the Chica they all know and love. And she's finally on their side.

"The question that we've all been wondering is how are we going to leave?" Bonnie asks.. The group falls silent. That's the one thing that's been on their minds. How can they leave when Freddy's got an eye on them constantly? "Freddy will be a bitch about it."

"Bonnie cussed," Foxy whispers, earning a small kick from the rabbit.

"I don't know," Chica admits, sighing deeply. "I would love to just walk out the doors, but it's not going to be that simple. Freddy will be watching us for sure. We need to sneak around him somehow and hide from him. If the spirit doesn't work very well, then Freddy can't track us as easily."

"I might have an idea," Mike pipes up, gathering the group's attention. Like the leader, he stands while the others sit and strides around the table, his hands behind his back. "We have to use each of our part of the spirit and somehow combine it. With all of our wishes against Freddy's, the spirit will have to choose us. I remember Golden Freddy saying it like it was yesterday. 'Everyone other than Freddy has to agree to leave, and then the spirit will allow you to do so when you get their approval.' He didn't think I could do it, and he suggested fire, but look at us now and all the progress we've made. It would be fun to use fire-"

"That's fun and all," Bonnie interrupts, his long ears twitching. "But the spirit has stopped working. Completely."

"What!?" Foxy exclaims, sensing his internal radar and gasping. Jumping onto his feet, his tail wags as he touches his chest. "I can't feel it."

"Is it true?" Chica asks, while the others check their internal radars. _Something feels off about this. Why did it suddenly stop after that big fight?_ No matter how much she looks back on her fight with Freddy, she can't detect anything unusual happening. But something happened when they were fighting, she knows it. _Am I the only one that thinks so?_

"There's not a spirit," Mike whispers, his eyes opening. Where the spirit's supposed to be in his chest, there's an empty space. Without those barriers and restrictions, _could_ they leave right now without Freddy knowing and without being hurt? "Oh my God. Everyone, follow me."

The group follows Mike as he excitedly pads down the hallway and out to the main stage. They follow with enthusiasm onto the main stage as they understand what's about to happen. Bonnie helps Mike smash the window open, Chica stands in the back, her eyes excited, while Foxy tingles with anticipation.

"Our adventure is about t' start," Foxy whispers to Chica, and she can't help but smile at his excitement. She glances over her shoulder, aware that someone may be watching them.

Smashing his arm through the window's glass, Mike fully stretches his arm out of the pizzeria. Air whips through his fingers, smelling like fresh grass as it enters his nose. Someone must be grilling, because he can smell cooking meat.

To test the waters even further, he leans his upper body out of the window, ignoring the glass poking into his suit. Usually, the spirit would've given him a warning tingle, but now, there's… nothing.

"Hold on," he whispers excitedly, smashing the remains of the glass out. Sticking his legs out and wincing expectantly as he allows a toe to touch the ground, he smiles when there's not a shock. He's forgotten what the grass feels like between his toes, and it prickles his feet. Stepping out and swirling in circles, feeling the grass on his toes, Mike laughs. The others notice how his voice doesn't seem as robotic.

"Amazing," Bonnie whispers, watching Mike. "He's already turning human."

"Me next!" Foxy exclaims, grumbling when Bonnie's already in front of the window and preparing to climb out. "Hurry! We need t' start our adventure!"

"Impossible…" Chica whispers, watching Mike do a celebratory dance. It seems _too good to be true_. She wants to tell him to run while he can, that _something's wrong_ , but she knows that he won't leave until everyone has left the pizzeria, until Freddy's the only one left. "Why did it suddenly stop working?"

"Maybe it's because we all wanted to leave and the spirit granted our wish?" Bonnie speculates, tossing a leg out of the window. "Ah, the breeze feels wonderful!" he says when his feet touch the ground and the wind whips through his ears. His nose twitches as he inhales the barbecue smell. "I'm free."

"Just wait you guys, we'll be living the good life. Days full of relaxing on the beach, not worrying about money, traveling the world, and being free, crazy adults. So come on, there's no time to waste!" Mike exclaims, his mind imagining himself on the beach with a glass of alcohol in his hand.

"I won't be an adult," Foxy whispers under his breath.

"Baseball games, too," Bonnie adds, his legs full of energy.

"Chica, I have an idea. Maybe it's because our family has finally been broken," Foxy speculates to Chica, taking a running start and leaping clean out the window and thudding onto the ground outside.

"Maybe," she smiles, laughing when Foxy jumps onto Mike and barrels him over.

The three look at Chica, their frames illuminated by the moonlight. Oddly, she sees a flash, and she swears she sees them with skin and hair. But that quickly changes, they return back to their robotic forms, and she shakes her head.

 _Time to move on, Chica! It's time to find Cheyenne and travel to Peru with my best friends._

The illumination of her friends against the moon is beautiful and bright, and when she takes a glance behind her to say a long lasting goodbye to the place where she's stayed for more than half her life, she's met with _his_ eyes. Oddly, they're even brighter than her friends. The luminous gaze that once brought her complete happiness now brings her unreserved fear, something that she never imagined to be conceivable.


	11. Part 11

They're _free_. Taking another large breath of fresh air, Mike exhales and glances at Foxy and Bonnie. They both stare at him expectantly, as if waiting for something. _Of course. They're going to look at me for guidance. They've forgotten how the human world works._ It makes Mike wonder exactly how long they've been stuck in the pizzeria and how much time they've wasted.

Since he's out of the pizzeria, he would already be setting across the parking lot in determination of living his new life, but there's something missing. More specifically _someone_. "Where's Chica?" Mike asks, scanning the dark outside. Did she sneak out already? Or is she still inside?

They all glance at the window, and Mike sighs when he doesn't see Chica's form inside the building. Why did she have to wander when they're so close to being free from Freddy's grasp?

"Where did she go?" Foxy wonders, his ears alert for her voice. Bonnie nervously eyes the window, his mind stuck on a certain idea.

"Hold on, let me look. She's probably in the kitchen paying tribute to the stove or something," Mike says in a soothing voice, even though inside he feels uncertainty of this weird situation. "Stay put, okay? I don't want to have to worry about you guys being lost in there, too."

While he heads towards the window, the other two stay put like he asked them to.

 _I never thought I'd be returning here after I had the chance to leave,_ Mike thinks, his eyes scanning the empty main stage. Hopefully, she hasn't wandered off too far, because Mike wants to get the hell out of this place as soon as possible. If they leave soon enough, maybe Freddy won't follow them and know about their whereabouts. Freddy will become a distant memory and terrible nightmare material, but he'll be out of their lives forever. But he has to _hurry_.

"Chica!" he calls out, his hands cupped around his mouth. His robotic voice echoes a few times before disappearing entirely in the bleak room.

There's not a reply, and he feels a twinge of worry. Either she wanted to say a proper goodbye to the place, or Freddy did something to her.

Freddy should've already known he lost the battle, that there is no redemption. His own actions killed his image. But why is he still fighting? Freddy can't think he has another chance. If he does realize that his image is permanently ruined, then he must be feeling desperate. Mike doesn't want to know what the bear will do when he's hit that point.

Quietly hopping inside, Mike pads across the stage and feels an eerie presence gnaw at his skin. Nothing looks out of the ordinary, everything looks the same as it was minutes before, but something feels _off_. "Chica?" he calls out again, but there's no reply. "Where is that chicken?"

She's not on the main stage, so Mike leaps off the platform, mind going through the possibilities of her possible whereabouts. Since the spirit has disappeared, he can't track where Chica is, nor Freddy. And he can't run into that psycho bear, always he'll be in some sort of trouble and forced to stay.

Before he moves, his eyes catch sight of a familiar book. It was moved from its previous place and thrown haphazardly beside the stage, as if someone was reading it then promptly left. Cautiously, Mike grabs the book and opens up the cover. Something compels him to see what's inside. His mouth opens slightly when he reads what's written in red pen on the front page, something that wasn't there before.

"THEIR LOCATION: LIMA. BEACH HOUSE. USED MY ALLOWANCE. EVERYONE THERE."

"He knows," Mike whispers, setting the book down onto the dirty floor in disbelief. The only time they talked about Peru was when Golden came and explained everything, then promptly warning them afterwards to never to speak a word of it. They all feared that Freddy would use the spirit to find out about their conversation. Golden Freddy put up protective shields in the guard's room so Freddy couldn't overhear. They were strong ones, Mike can remember. They crackled a strong energy. But was it enough? Golden mentioned that the spirit was bubbly because Bonnie didn't use it often. Was the spirit already falling apart then? Is that why Freddy knows?

Certainly Freddy will be following them all their lives. _God damn it._ Mike lets those feelings of ire build up in him. _Maybe I can kill Freddy today. I can't live and constantly watch my back for him._

Not dwelling on it any longer, Mike decides to continue the search. Into the kitchen, and just like the stage, it's barren. There's not even a smell to identify anything. Scrutinizing the room, Mike notices that everything's devoid of color and personality, kind of like it doesn't exist at all.

The place is in ruins. And just like Freddy, there's _no hope of redemption._

Mike watches a small ball of dust float up into the air, illuminated by the light as it moves along, and drift calmly back down to the ground.

Heading down the hallway towards the guard's room, Mike feels irritation run through him. Why had he assumed that Freddy would sulk in the back, nursing his wounds while they left? It never would've been that simple. Freddy always has something up his sleeve.

 _I should've been the last one to leave, not the first one. What was I thinking?_ Mike growls at these thoughts. Problems like these wouldn't have occurred if he did so.

The light bulbs above flicker in warning. While Mike heads down the dark hallway, he passes a window. Something outside moves, making him pauses and squint his brown eyes. There's a man outside, an unfamiliar person with a black cap on his dark hair. He's taller in height and with a lean frame. From this angle, Mike can see Foxy and Bonnie eyeing the mysterious man warily.

"Where the hell did you come from?" Mike mumbles, staring at the man curiously. Any other time wouldn't have been as odd as now. Shaking his head, he continues his searching. There's no time in figuring out why that guy's here. Chica's the main concern, not some random dude. _He's probably drunk, anyways._

Getting closer to the guard's room, Mike hears a small squeaking sound. This sends a wave of panic down his body. Picking up the pace, he flies down the hallway and he gawks when he comes across the locked door of the office. The metal protector is down; there's no way to get in. The window is covered with newspapers, making it impossible for outsiders to look in.

"Freddy! Let her out!" Mike yells, slamming his fists against the window, shaking the glass. What could he be doing to her in there? This thought makes Mike almost hysterical.

"Mike!" Chica shouts, her voice full of fear. Something loud scratches against the ground, causing Mike's ears to flatten against his head. "Help me!"

"That will not be happening," Freddy chuckles darkly. "When you're in here, I know you're safe."

 _Safe from what?_ "Why are you doing this?!" Mike shouts in reply, ceasing the banging. His voice hitches when Chica sobs. "What did she ever do to you? If you want someone as your punching bag, let it be me! I caused all of this to happen, not Chica!"

"I'm aware of that, but you were already outside. She was the only one left." Freddy sighs and his figure draws near the window, casting a shadow on the newspapers. "Most certainly she's not my punching bag, but my family. Something's keeping her here, I know it. I'm not allowing her to listen to your asinine statements about 'starting over'. It already _is_ over. It was all over for us when we were reincarnated. The human in us is gone, just like our lives in the human world. It's a terrible place that will shove you deeper into the dirt until you crave death."

"You're wrong," Mike growls, smashing his fist on the window. He wants to smile when Freddy's shadow flinches. "There's proof in front of you but you purposely look away. You refuse to move forward. You're stuck in a memory that's long passed. I know that you were abused in your younger years, but those events happened _years ago_. Those people that hurt you probably grew up and regret doing those things to you."

"I doubt it," Freddy snarls back. "They enjoyed torturing me."

"People _grow up_! And those assholes were one little chunk of the human population. Sure, there's going to be dickheads in this world, there always will be, but there's more good than bad. You can't base the whole human population on those few select people that hurt you!"

"What do you know?" Freddy bellows, his voice enraged. "I've been through numerous scarring events from adults and children alike! The human world is a messy place, and I will not allow any of you to become hurt by humans! They're all evil!"

 _He's blinded by the past,_ Mike thinks. "Freddy, humans are born _good_. Why do you think babies are so loving? They aren't born evil. Something must've corrupted them while they were maturing for them to turn out the way they are, from watching their parents' behavior to society's effect on them. The human world isn't a bad place. It will be a bad place if you choose to think negatively and ignore the goodness that's right in your face."

Freddy's shadow disappears from the window and Mike angrily shouts at his aloof behavior, "So if humans are all bad, then what about me? What about Chica, Bonnie, and Foxy? Are they terrible people?" At no reply, leaving Chica's quiet sobs audible, he screams, "ANSWER ME! ARE WE BAD JUST BECAUSE WE WERE HUMAN?"

"I'm done listening to you!" Freddy yells. "Chica will be staying with me! She's not emotionally strong enough to leave! I don't want to see any of you go, but I know that you all think badly of me. I can't help that. But I will not let Chica become corrupted by the outside world!"

"If you don't open the door, I'll break through the window!" Mike warns, his jaw tense. _I'm through listening to this bullcrap!_

"No! That's what he wants!" Chica shouts. Her voice is shaky when she pleads, "You'll need the others to help you. If you do it alone, then you'll be stuck in here, too!"

 _Why is Freddy letting you speak so openly? Did he tell you to say this?_ Mike wonders. It's true that if he breaks in, Freddy will more than likely force him to stay using whatever method he used with Chica. He'll need the others, for sure. Chica's words must be her own.

"I'll be right back," Mike assures, backing away from the window. Retracing his steps to the main stage window, he sticks his head out and yells, "Chica needs help! Freddy's got her!"

At no reply, Mike shouts again, desperate for an answer. _Where did they go?_ The bunny and fox are nowhere to be seen. "Did they leave without me?" he asks himself, eyes wide with disbelief. How could things have turned chaotic so easily?

Sure enough, they're gone. Not a trace of them is here. Maybe they're already in their human forms, exploring the houses up the street, or they could be hiding somewhere close by and cannot hear his words. Either way, they've left Mike alone and defenseless.

For now, he'll have to believe that they've left, leaving him here alone with Freddy and Chica. There's only one option, and Mike takes a deep breath. It hasn't turned out well when he's done it before, but he at least has to _try_.

"Looks like I have to face Freddy myself."

* * *

They tiptoe quietly, careful not to step on any branches or leaves. Bonnie takes the lead, his eye set on the man in front of him. Who wears a baseball cap at night, anyways? He's never seen this man before and is merely curious about what he's up to. Mike told him to stay, but what's the chances that this man suddenly appeared out of nowhere when _this_ is happening? Something else is going on, and he wants to know what.

The pizzeria isn't his responsibility anymore, but he still wants to know what this guy is so interested in. The building? The animatronics? Or, because the spirit doesn't work anymore, the cries and yells that have been invading the quiet night? They're Mike's, but they're angry yells, not shouts of fear. _Freddy's probably pissing him off. I hope he can get through everything, because he's on his own for now._

Foxy's behind Bonnie, his tail sweeping the ground, shuffling the dead, brown leaves. One thing he found out while being on adventures with Mike in the pizzeria was that he can easily creep around soundlessly if he walks on four paws. Well, three paws and one hook. His muzzle crinkles when he catches the smell of sweat from the man.

Currently, they're around the opposite side of the building. They're close to the front parking lot, where the grass is starting to rot. The man hasn't stepped a foot on the concrete in favor of creeping around in the grass, and so has Bonnie and Foxy. It's easy to hide doing so.

"Foxy!" Bonnie hisses when the fox steps on a small stick. The man halts in his steps at the cracking noise, and Bonnie signals for them to stop. Turning around, the man looks in their direction, his sweaty forehead shining under the moonlight. His hands shake as he briskly heads towards the sound. Now, he doesn't bother hiding himself. With every step, his shoes crush against the leaves.

"Don't move," Bonnie whispers. If they suddenly run for it, the man will surely know that something was following them. But if they stand still, maybe the man won't see them and think the sound was from an animal…

Bonnie lowers his body, hiding behind the bush. Foxy stands completely still, staring at the man with curiosity. They don't move when the man approaches them cautiously and gives the both of them, deep in their eyes, a long stare.

"This is weird. How did you two get out of the pizzeria?" the man asks himself. When Foxy suddenly sneezes, he backs away with surprise, almost tripping over his shoes in the process.

 _He's already seen us, so why not get some information on him,_ Bonnie thinks, watching the clumsy man. _There's no use in hiding now._

The man's eyes open in surprise when Bonnie and Foxy emerge from the undercover.

"Hi, human. What's your name?" Foxy asks, getting up on his two legs and hiding his hook behind his back. Already the man looks frightened enough to wet his pants, and Foxy doesn't want to give him another reason to fear them.

"Y-You can talk?!" the man whispers in horror, taking a step backwards.

"Yeah, we can. I'm Bonnie, and he's Foxy. What's yours?" Bonnie asks, examining the man. He wanted to add, "Why are you wearing a baseball cap when it's almost midnight?", but he refrains from doing so.

"Erm, Jeremy," he stutters, nervously glancing between the two. "All I ask is that you don't hurt me. All I was sent here to do was to examine the building's condition," he adds, holding his hands up in surrender.

"At midnight?" Bonnie asks, detecting the lie. Not that he was born an expert at detecting fibs, but his old friends used to lie constantly. It was a common occurrence between them, and Bonnie used to believe each and every one of them. That is, until he could figure out just by their tone of voice and facial expressions if they were telling the truth or not. "Wouldn't it be easier to do that when it's daylight out?"

"Yes, I suppose so, but my company controls when I do my fieldwork," Jeremy explains, placing his hands deep in his pockets.

"That sounds like a shady business t' me," Foxy adds.

"It's a unique business to say the least." Shaking his head, Jeremy mutters, "I can't believe I'm talking to animatronics. I shouldn't have drank that extra bottle… God, I hate hallucinations."

Not bothering to contradict his untrue statement, Bonnie asks, "Why are you really here? I know you're lying about something, so just spit it out. If it's about remodeling the pizzeria or tearing it down, we don't care. We're leaving this place, anyways."

"Really?" Jeremy breathes a sigh of relief, visibly calming. "That's what it was about. Apparently, the state doesn't want us to wreck the building, but let it 'go on its own.' They wouldn't even explain why, either. My boss wasn't the happiest about it, so he sent me to do the dirty work." Pointing to the side of the street, he says nonchalantly, "My truck is hidden over there, and I have fireworks hidden in the back. If you remember, fireworks exploded a few months ago. I was hoping that one of them would explode on the pizzeria and it would catch on fire."

"Fireworks? Why not use a match?" Foxy asks.

Shrugging his shoulders, Jeremy explains, "My boss wants it to look like an accident. That's what I'm trying to do now. To burn down this place down 'accidentally' by exploding fireworks." Nervously, he adds, "And it's not like you're going to tell anyone."

"That sounds like-"

"Fun!" Foxy laughs, interrupting Bonnie. He steps beside Jeremy, causing the man to gaze at him with worry. "Let's do it! I'm sure Mikey has Chica out by now."

"You're sure?" Bonnie asks. "What if they're still inside?"

"We're doing it tonight, whether or not people are inside," Jeremy assures, turning around to stare at the building. "If I burn this place down, my boss is giving me a raise. I _need_ that raise so I can support my family." He glances at the two, eyes serious. "You got that?"

"Aye aye! Let me help ya!" Foxy exclaims, following Jeremy to his truck. As they leave, Bonnie watches them go, shaking his head. Something doesn't feel right. Turning his back on them, Bonnie heads back to the pizzeria in hopes of reconnecting with Mike and Chica.

* * *

Mike allows the ax to screech against the ground as he moves towards the guard's office. It makes his own ears twitch and strain against the irritating noise, but he needs Freddy to hear the nails-against-chalkboard sound. _Make him scared and I'll win,_ Mike thinks, grunting as he pulls the handle of the ax onto his shoulder. From being outside, some of his animatronic strength has drained away. He can feel his humanity returning, but he hopes he has enough mechanical strength to give Freddy a good fight.

The sobs give rise as he grows near, until his body is in front of the window and he can hear her cries perfectly. For making Chica cry, he wants to beat up Freddy. No, slice this ax he's got in his hands through the bear's chest. _The end does not justify the means._ Making Chica scared was entirely uncalled for. Freddy's time of being the ruler and thinking he can do whatever he wants is _over_.

"Let me in, Freddy! I have a weapon with me, and I'm not afraid to use it!" Mike shouts, gripping the ax tight in preparation for Freddy's reply.

"…Use it, then," Freddy says, and is there a hint of laughter in his voice?

 _What kind of answer is that?_ It makes Mike wary. _And he was laughing, too? That's not good. Bonnie, Foxy, where the hell are you!?_ But he has no other choice but to do this alone. Raising the ax over his head, he smashes it down onto the window. As they both connect, glass flies everywhere. This time, when the glass gouges itself against Mike, he can feel a sharp sting. Again, Mike raises the ax and smashes the window, until there isn't a window to speak of, just an empty hole. His body hurts from the glass, and little specs of blood appear from the shards gouged into his skin.

Not wanting to give Freddy a chance to attack, Mike doesn't peek his head in to look. He only shuffles around the window, trying to catch a glimpse of them. Much to his disappointment, he can't spot Chica or hear her voice. She must be positioned expertly so that he can't see her by merely looking in. He'd have to stick his head in and get a good look, but risking himself to Freddy.

Where is the bear? He's not skinny, so Mike should be able to see some of his body, regardless of where he is in the room. Maybe he's hiding in a corner, too?

It's when Mike feels something behind him when he knows that he's screwed. Whipping around and expecting anything to happen or swing at his face, he almost cries in joy when he sees Bonnie. "Thank God it's you! I thought it was Freddy," Mike gasps, his heart calming down, one paw clutching his chest.

"I knew you'd still be in here. Foxy thought you would already be out, but I know you better than that. You like taking the most complicated route there is," Bonnie gives him a small smile. His eyes glance at the ax in Mike's hand, and his smile fades. "You can't find Chica, huh?"

"No, I have! She's in there," Mike points at the guard's room. "Now I can't find Freddy! If he was in there, I'd be able to see him." _And why isn't Chica saying anything? Did Freddy do something to her? Something's going to happen…_

Rolling his eyes, Bonnie motions for the room as if this was an everyday occurrence. "Well, go inside, then. I'll keep watch. If Freddy's in there, I'll help you out with him. But I have a feeling that he's not in there."

"Chica said that everyone needs to help or Freddy will win. I mean, don't you think it's odd that Freddy suddenly disappears when I'm about to rescue her?" Shaking his head, Mike stares at Bonnie, and the two share a long glance. It's a personal glance between two people who are about to do something huge.

Suddenly, Mike feels a pit in his chest when Bonnie nods at him to go inside. Going back in the timeline and seeing Freddy's strength and the wrath of it, what he's capable of, and his actions. Of what's happening now, with Chica in danger. Is it fear?

He's afraid of Freddy.

Unexpectedly, the last four months seem to crash onto him. "I can't believe everything that's happened. Being reincarnated, the spirit, and Freddy doing this to Chica after all the promises he made. Doesn't this all seem unreal to you?" Mike asks shakily, wondering if this is all a dream. Maybe he's in a coma and his mind is making this entire thing up.

"It does," Bonnie agrees sadly. "We need to get away from here as soon as we get Chica. This place doesn't give me any sense of happiness anymore. When we leave, we're _leaving forever_. This journey with Freddy will end, and a new one will begin for us."

Somehow, imagining this as a fragment of a long dream gives Mike a burst of confidence. In dreams, you _can't_ permanently die. And if he dies, he'll wake up from this nightmare.

Mike pokes his head in the room.

Silently sobbing, Chica sits on an old looking chair, which Mike immediately identifies as one of Freddy's from his 'secret' office. Something's tied around her waist and to the chair, keeping her in place. It'll be easy enough to free her. But the problem becomes more out in the open when Mike examines the room. Objects are strewn throughout the room messily and every piece of furniture is broken, as if a baby elephant crashed through and stomped around. "Where the hell is Freddy? Chica, do you know?"

Looking closer at her, Mike feels a sudden fear. Her body is _shaking_. Her teeth click together. Little gasps leave her beak. Now he knows why she was silent; she couldn't talk because of this fear. _What made her this frightened?_

"He's planning something. Escape before he catches you, too!" she pleads, her words barely passing through her chattering beak. She doesn't struggle, but stays there, her body stunned.

"You know we can't do that. You're a part of our family," Bonnie says from the other side of the wall, confusion in his voice. He's probably befuddled at Chica's answer.

Ignoring her words, Mike shuffles behind the chair and starts hacking away at the restraints with his teeth. He doesn't bother looking around, sure that Freddy's gone from the room. "So, where is he?" he mumbles through the wire.

She shakily points at the wall, her eyes welling up with tears.

Following her gaze, Mike gapes at the sight and feels his own body shake. His stomach twists in horror. They lock eyes, and Mike wants to _run_. This monster in front of him kicks his survival instincts in overdrive. He wants to escape somewhere far away and hide when it smiles at him.

Poking his head inside and gasping when he catches sight of it, Bonnie screams. "MIKE! GET OUT, NOW!"

Somewhere, in the distance, Mike can hear sudden booming and explosions, and the sky alights in bursts of colors.


	12. Part 12

This thing in front of him can't be Freddy. Mike doesn't want to believe that it's him; he doesn't want to believe anything like this could ever happen. How could it? Does Freddy still have the spirit's power and used it to look like _this_?

Gaping up at the thing, Mike's eyes open with uncontained fright. Not because it looks hideous, but he can sense the power radiating off of the creature in waves. He thought that the old Freddy was strong, but what about this scary twin of his?

The bear looks like something out of a kid's horror attraction. On the wall, like a spider, Freddy's long, thorn-like claws on his hands and feet penetrate the wall, keeping him intact. His mouth is slightly open, showing off his sharp, gleaming teeth. His once cleanly groomed suit now has rips and tears that are hastily stitched together, leaving his whole suit looking deranged and messy. Out of the seconds that he dragged Chica into the room and waited for the others to appear in search of her, he somehow transformed into this old, creepy _thing_.

What catches Mike's full attention are his teeth. There are three rows of them in his mouth, some jagged and others straight. The teeth have to be part of the endoskeleton. Freddy's teeth weren't anything like this creature's, so what's this thing standing in front of them? Could Freddy change his appearance?

 _That shouldn't be possible…_ Mike thinks, eyes still set on his teeth.

Either way, he knows deep down that this _thing_ is undoubtedly Freddy. It's like the bear's body has flipped inside out. That fake personality he put up on the outside is now hidden inside. The real person that he is inside, now out in the open for everyone to see, is nothing short of terrible.

 _I have to get out of here!_ But Mike stays put, bracing his body while keeping up a frightened expression. Something tells him that if he tries to move, like an animal about to be preyed upon, he won't have a chance against Freddy and his sharp fangs and claws.

Chica ducks her head in submission, her body frozen in fear. Bonnie doesn't move, but covers his mouth with his hand. He, too, knows that Freddy is stronger than any of them, even with all of them fighting together.

It's a mutual feeling between the three of them; Freddy will win, if he decides to make a move.

Freddy's red eyes stare down at Mike with humor. Mouth twisted in an evil grin, he rasps in a voice unlike his own, "What did I tell you? You're not leaving." Using his claws, he leaps onto the opposite wall, the one right beside the guard's door where Bonnie lies, his harsh movements making parts of the wall crumble from the impact. Dust flies throughout the tense room, making Chica's shoulders tremble as she coughs.

"All of you are staying here, I will make certain of that. Foxy will return when he doesn't notice any of you outside. Upon his return, you will all be captured and remain in this building forever." Glancing at all of them, he adds while looking directly at Mike, "I will erase all of the bad memories you have of this place and replace them with good memories. You'll all comply with staying after that, I'm sure."

At Freddy's chuckle, Bonnie spits, "If you think we're going to go along with this, you've got another thing coming! God, I can't believe that I once liked being around you. This is what you truly are, right?" Bonnie glares at Freddy, his eyes practically scorching. "This evil, ugly bastard!"

"Now now, Bonnie, I'm sure you don't mean any of that," Freddy grins, his eyes still locked on Mike's. It's like he's waiting for any tiny movements, something to go off on.

Mike knows that Freddy's waiting for one of them to make a move. He can see it by the bear's tense legs and concentrated look. And Freddy's right. _The first one to make that move will be me, I know it_ , Mike thinks.

"I'm sure he does, smartass," Mike pipes up, trying not to whimper when Freddy's red eyes squint. _I haven't done anything too upsetting yet. I'll need to tread the water and hope that something from the outside saves us._

Cautiously, he leans against the back of Chica's chair, ready to move at any moment. "We all hate you so much that our feelings towards you aren't going to fade, even if you delete our memories. We're still going to feel those negative emotions towards you, even if we can't remember who you are, so prepare yourself for getting disowned twice," he continues, ignoring Chica's small whimpers.

Freddy's lip forms a snarl, but Mike continues with his heart finally open and unfiltered. "I've never told anyone about what I think of you, but I'm going to go ahead and say it. You think that that we need this pizzeria and this life. You know what? It's the other way around. _You_ need _us_. Without us, you would rot. Damn you! Killing us for your own selfishness! Rot in hell and never come back!"

And before Mike can move, Freddy tenses up his muscles and pounces.

Claws dig into Mike's suit, impaling clean through to the other side. Freddy's weight topples him over, and Mike cannot feel any strength to fight back. It crashes on top of him, claws still embedded deep into his skin, fangs inches away from his face.

Screaming as Mike crashes into her, Chica topples over in her now demolished chair, her body still contained by the wire. She can barely breathe due to Freddy's weight crushing Mike onto her.

Through the intense pain of his chest, Mike notices Chica's wheezing and struggles to get off of her, with Freddy's claws still intact. His red eyes continue to glare into Mike's, and Mike winces when he rakes a paw across his face, sending blood to drip down his cheeks. _My pain doesn't matter. I have to get off of Chica!_

Using all his strength, Mike finally lifts himself off of Chica and slams onto the ground, his head snapping against the hard floor. Probably from the impact and his frayed mind, he hears something loud explode. It seems to get closer and closer to the building with every boom.

While Chica weakly rolls away to safety, Freddy stares in fascination as he pulls a claw out of Mike, blood coating it a crimson color.

"You're no match for me. I'm not human, not even a little bit. Therefore, I contain all mechanical strength. What's a human like you going to do to save everyone?" Another growl, and Freddy hisses inches right into Mike's sensitive ears, "You're not the hero, Mike! Not every story has a good ending!"

Weakly looking up at Freddy, Mike feels the blood drain out of him from his numerous wounds, making him weak. Chica can't help, being weak from being smashed into. He doesn't know where Bonnie is. And Foxy, for all he knows, could already be down the street, exploring this new world that he was sheltered from for so long.

And at that point, with Freddy over him, it's hard not to feel any confidence or self-assurance. He's basically lost, hasn't he? _That's right. I am human, just like Freddy said._

 _What was I thinking._

"Heroes die too, you know," Freddy continues in a softer voice, ignoring the clatter behind him. "Look at you. You're bleeding everywhere. If left you like this, you'd die. Now, if you think I'm so evil, would you believe that after I capture all of you, I'm going to repair you all fully? That I'll stitch you up perfectly, so that blood will never again be shed?"

"Bonnie," Chica whimpers, her weak body still lying on the floor. The confinement that was around her waist is now gone, she probably wrenched it off herself, but it left a nasty red mark in its wake. Her eyelashes flutter as she tries to stay conscious. Seeing something so innocent lying helplessly on the floor, crying out in pain, twists something sharp in Mike's chest. "Help…"

Mike flinches as something from behind Freddy smashes him directly in the side of the head, making a sickening cracking sound. It breaks apart when it impacts, sending wood flying into Mike's eyes. From the looks of it, it's a chair. Shocked, Freddy slowly turns his head around to meet Bonnie's determined but slightly afraid gaze.

"Get off of him!" he growls, backing up towards the hole in the wall.

"Bonnie! Get out!" Mike hollers, struggling to get up. He can breathe better when Freddy removes his claws from his suit, but it's not an assurance. His rage will be directed towards Bonnie, and Mike prefers it when Freddy is only mad at him.

"You're staying here." With that said, Freddy takes one of his claws and digs it deeply through Mike's chest, and much to Mike's confusion, twists it, jolting pain up his spine. When Freddy rips himself off of Mike and Bonnie jumps through the window and dashes down the hallway, Mike notices that the claw Freddy twisted into him is deeper than the other wounds.

When he tries to move, the claw keeps him down. _Freddy must've impaled it into the ground!_ Mike thinks shakily, gripping the claw in the center of his chest and desperately trying to pull it out.

After a few minutes of struggling and almost fainting, Mike finally rips the bloodied claw out of his chest. Gasping from the pain in his body, he takes a moment to take a deep breath and calm himself down.

 _I've got this. Just have confidence in yourself. I won't allow Freddy to erase our memories._ "Wait," Mike says aloud, a realization hitting him. "Does that mean the spirit still exists, if he can erase our memories?"

 _What's even going on? Everything's happening too fast._

"I guess so," Chica agrees quietly, her breathing calmer. She must've collected her wits, too. "Freddy must have all of it, because I still can't feel it in my chest." When she says the last part, she gives Mike's bloodied chest a terrified look.

"Me neither," Mike agrees, his words lost in the sound of a loud boom. Shakily getting up and helping Chica to her feet, they both stare down the hallway. Every second watching is wasted. They need to find Bonnie quickly and end this all together.

They'll need to use something more than strength to take down Freddy. Wit? Friendship? Mike doesn't know. Actually, all his life, he's never _known_ how things would turn out. Fights, relationships and tests are a small portion of things he's had to deal with that contained no preparation beforehand. _Why waste time worrying?_ he'd think. Why not live for the moment and worry later?

Most of the time, he would enter a situation with no plan at all. And several of those situations failed, with the main one being his relationship with his father. There wasn't any effort on his part, and thinking about it now, he doesn't know why he didn't try.

 _And it took me this far to realize it_ , he thinks.

"Let's do this. We can do this if we work together," Mike says, motioning Chica to leave through the hole first.

Jumping out the hole, Chica admits, "Even when we're in peril, you still act like a gentleman. You're a good man, Mike. You're better than anyone I've ever known."

"Let's find Bonnie," Mike quickly says, feeling a little embarrassed at the confession. His heart freezes up when he hears the bunny's scream. The two share a horrified glance that underlined their concern. Freddy is not one that you can prepare for. Many things he does are out of the ordinary and completely unexpected.

Just what Freddy is doing to Bonnie, the two don't really want to know. But they have to; maybe they can save him before it's too late.

" _Now_!"

* * *

They follow the screams. Every step makes Mike feel a little more anxious. _What could Freddy be doing to him?_ he wonders, his ears twitching when another huge explosion comes from outside. This one lights up the whole room an aqua blue color.

"I hope Freddy hasn't hurt him," Chica voices her concern, huffing as they dash into the main hall. Blood hits their noses, sharp and sweet. A line of the liquid runs from their toes towards the parts and repair room. It's thick and wide, as if someone dragged themselves across the floor.

Mike doesn't answer, for he can't bear to confirm her suspicion. To confirm it will cause more worry, and Mike wants to avoid that. But Chica must know that Freddy's doing something to him, because why else would Bonnie be screaming?

Entering the parts and repair room, Mike taking the lead, he almost throws up at what lies inside. One of Bonnie's arms is completely ripped off, lying close to his head. He's slumped against the wall, unconscious, his eyes slightly open. His neck is stained red, as if someone grabbed him around the neck with bloody hands.

Chica wails and covers her eyes. "We were too late!"

Mike feels anger and sadness course through him. Why had it come to _this_? Bonnie was completely innocent. "This wasn't needed," he whispers, looking at Bonnie's dismembered arm, flesh wringing the inside, bloody and ripped apart.

If only he hadn't left for the outside world and regained parts of his humanity. Flesh and blood can't win against metal.

Mike doesn't say any more in fear of crying. There's a realization that hit him then, that they _can't_ win. And if they rebel, they will end up like Bonnie. Mutilated for nothing other than to be a pawn in his sick game.

Both of them snap towards the door as it's suddenly slammed shut. There stands Freddy, blood soaking his chest. From Mike's blood or Bonnie's, no one's sure. Dust clings onto the blood, giving Mike an idea of where Freddy got the key.

He wants to ask why he mutilated Bonnie, but nothing comes out.

Using the key in his hand, he locks the door and swallows the key. Mike can hear it clink at the bottom on Freddy's metal stomach, unobtainable and unreachable.

With disinterest Freddy watches them, calmly leaning against the door, as if they were in an elevator with cozy music playing on the speakers. He doesn't need to say anything; he already reads the disappointed emotions on Mike's face.

Still wailing, Chica sinks beside Bonnie and closes his eyes for him. How much she looks like a child doing so, as she lies there and rocks back and forth on the floor, hardly able to keep it together.

Another boom outside and the lights above flicker. Mike stares at them with his full attention, unable to cope with the internal and external pain. Maybe if he concentrates on something else, then this pain will go away. The lights continue to flicker with every passing second, even after the boom.

Freddy glances at the lights as they flicker, his jaw twitching. He growls when another boom comes from outside, leaving the room in darkness for seven seconds. Then, he stares at Mike like it's his fault.

"I didn't do anything," he explains, letting out a groan as his chest suddenly burns. He clutches his chest and ignores Freddy, instead concentrating on the lights above. Vision swimming, he tries not to fall to the darkness.

 _If I become unconscious, there's no hope left. I will wake up with my memories erased._ From what, a dream? Mike thought it was a dream, convinced himself that it was so that he could bear with everything easier and wouldn't worry, but he knows that it isn't. There is no coma or dream to wake up from. _This is reality._

His thoughts scatter when there's another boom, but this one is different than the others. It makes the light completely turn off and _the smell of fire drifts throughout the room._ Crackling and hissing comes from outside the door, making Mike's ears perk.

"No way," he whispers, using the last of his strength to lift himself off the ground. The muskiness that was in the room intensifies. Now he can feel the intense heat from the other room. At Freddy's horrified look, he knows what's happened.

 _Get out of here!_ Mike wants to scream as he stares at Freddy. Why isn't he moving? Doesn't he want to get out before the fire spreads to this room?

Well, if he isn't going to do anything, then Mike will have to take the lead.

"Chica, could you carry Bonnie?" Mike commands, his hands against the wall. Through the wall, he can feel the heat. It's a huge fire, humongous enough to swallow the place up. "It will make this a hell of a lot easier."

Sensing the confidence in his voice, Chica sniffles but nods. Since she hasn't stepped outside yet, she should still have all of her mechanical strength, enabling her to carry Bonnie's weight.

"You aren't leaving," Freddy snaps, eyeing Chica as she carries Bonnie in her arms.

Giving Freddy a look of disbelief, Mike throws up his hands, wincing when his chest burns. "What the hell is it with you? This place is on fire. _It will burn down_. We will, too, if we don't leave now!" Impatience enters his voice as thick aromas of smoke hits his nose.

"I already told you, you're not leaving!" To prove his statement, Freddy guards the door with his body. His hands grip the side of the doors, clutching onto the one thing that he can control. "You will never leave me! Do you hear that!? I already know that right outside this door, there's fire. We can't leave! And if we try, then one of us will definitely perish. I won't allow that to happen. If one of us is going down, the others must, too."

 _He's mental._ "We can break down this wall and leave! Don't you get it? There are other ways to escape! No one has to perish!"

"I DON'T CARE! This building is burning down, and it's the only place that we can live at. Without it, we can't live in peace as a family. Humans will get in our way. We won't be protected from their world. So we're all going to die together and live as a family elsewhere!"

Hearing those words, Chica shakes her head, disbelief on her face. At least Mike's not the only one that thinks he's crazy.

His voice dies as another boom slams the building. When Mike glances away from Freddy to Chica, she gives him a small nod. This time, Mike doesn't hold back. Ignoring the nausea, he takes a running leap and slams into Freddy's body headfirst, right as the door is blown open and flames attempt to burst through.

Mike's and Freddy's eyes lock as the bear's body pops and hisses. Chica and Bonnie are protected from the heat by being in the back of the room while Mike is practically right in front of Freddy, guarded by his huge frame. The fire is blocked by his body, saving the others inside. The only one being damaged is the one in front of the door, the one intent on saving his family.

Freddy gives him a tortured look as the flames burn his suit, but he doesn't move or cry out. He seems to accept it. Mike doesn't know what to say, but his eyes are shocked. How quickly things can spiral out of control.

 _Why isn't he moving? Why is he standing there and taking the heat?_

Finally, when Mike hears the groan of the wall, he snaps his gaze away from Freddy and commands, "Let's get out of here."

Everything is a blur. The smoke clouds everything, making memories hazy. Not a person is really sure of what happens next, except for one yellow rabbit.

The wall quickly crumbles under Mike's attempts, showing how fragile it really is. Something that looks so tough can be broken so easily. When there's a large hole in the wall and the flames are starting to enter the room, they start to move out.

The first one out is Chica with Bonnie in her arms. Grunting as she leaps out of the hole, Bonnie's head accidently smacks against the side of the wall, causing her to apologize to the unconscious rabbit.

By that time, Mike's head is dizzy from the smoke and every step is a struggle. The dried blood and dirt on his body stinks horribly. His nose aches from inhaling various amounts of smoke.

Before he takes a step outside, he glances back. Freddy's frame is still guarding the room from the fire. Flames are eating his suit, turning it a crispy black. It's already moved from his back to his shoulders.

This is the old Freddy. His suit is no longer deranged. Fur tidy and hat sleek, this is the Freddy he saw when he was a kid. This was the person who he liked seeing as a child, when his father was starting to hate everything about him and started disconnecting from the world.

Maybe, at one time, Mike thought this place, Freddy Fazbear's Pizzeria, was an escape from his unusually lonely life as a child. Maybe Freddy picked up on that and wanted to protect Mike from that loneliness.

Now he can understand.

Mike's not sure if he imagined it, but he swears he sees Freddy give him a small nod.

Even if he imagined it, Mike returns the nod. Something passes between them, a mutual understanding. Roles pass between them, some sweet and some bitter, Even though they both have battle wounds from each other, there's still a level of understanding. Fear and acceptance makes people act differently, and this is one of those cases.

Already, Mike can feel himself letting go of everything.

Foxy reunites with them as they dash away from the burning building. Hands black from who knows what, he makes a whooping sound, his hands raised in victory. "We did it!" he grins, his teeth sparkling from the moonlight. "We can go on an adventure!"

"We can start over," Chica smiles, grunting as she arranges Bonnie in her arms.

"Finally," Mike agrees, his heart aching slightly. Seeing someone moments before they die, regardless if you held hatred towards them, you can't help but feel pity for them. Especially Freddy, one of those unfortunate people to have a terrible life in childhood and death.

At least Mike can put that all behind. Freddy will be a part of his past, a nightmare, possibly even in a calm dream. But the bear will never take another breath on this earth.

But questions pop up. _Is that really what you think?_ Mike's mind seems to tell him. _You can't be certain._

"It will be a long journey, getting you all ready for the human world again, but I know we can do it. We'll stick together and go through this together," Mike assures, shaking off the questions. They will be answered in due time, he's sure.

As sirens ring in the distance, shrill and waking everyone in the neighborhood up, four figures slip into the forest, unnoticed by those who are watching. Flames continue to lick the air. In the sky, stars twinkle. There's a flash of golden, but it quickly disappears when the building starts collapsing.

When the sun rises and the moon disappears, the fire trucks and police will have already come and searched every inch of the wreckage. Questions will arise. Who, exactly, started the fire? Was it someone, or merely an accident? What will happen now? But questions always will be answered. In how long of a time, it's never certain.

The place will be badly damaged, dust flying through the air like raindrops and black painting the grass a sickly color. Inside, they will find one badly burned suit, but nothing else. Every memory that was held and cherished, every book, every picture is gone. Nothing is left.

Early the next morning, newspapers will release their daily issues. On the front page will be a picture of the burned down pizzeria and the information regarding the fire. No one will know of the four others who lived there, who walked down the hallways and saw the world pass by in their own little existence, one that was forced upon them by someone who they thought was an entirely different person. All that the newspapers will admit to finding is an endoskeleton in the building. And just like any other popular story, the buzz of the burning will eventually fade, until people have forgotten about it entirely.

But Mike and the others don't know that. They won't know any of this because soon they'll be far away from this city, free of the chains that once bound them. They'll continue to look over their backs, wary of those who have might known them before the fire, for the people who might try to bring them back.

* * *

 **A/N: I know I'm going to get questions asking, "Is this it?" "Does it end here?" I'll answer right now; No, I'm planning on continuing. I received a comment from someone that really changed my mind on ending it with them entering the outside world without explaining how they adapt to the human world, if Mike finds someone to love, his father and what happened between them, Golden Freddy and Peru, etc. Thanks to that person, I'm going to give answers to most of these questions in the next chapters.**

 **Thanks for reading!**


	13. Part 13

**A/N: Sorry for a short-ish chapter. The other part that was supposed to be connected to this chapter was waaaaay too long, so I decided to split it into two parts. Expect a huge chapter the next update.**

* * *

As night falls over the city, the lights from the buildings remain strong. People crowd through the sidewalk, briefcases clutched in their hands, trying to get home from a long day of work. It's one of the many large cities throughout the United States, this one being beside the beach.

In a particular part of the city lies a hotel nicknamed "Firefly Hotel." Little fireflies always flock there and flit around due to the gardens and nice-smelling flowers. Located on the nicer (but busier) side of the city, many walk past the hotel when it nears nighttime to see the pretty insects. Regardless of the bugs, the hotel has a wonderful view of the sky and the price makes it affordable for anyone to stay a night or two.

With the moon in the sky, the entrance door to the "Firefly Hotel" creaks open. Maybe it's someone going out to smoke, or to take a nightly walk.

Light pours onto the clean sidewalk and a figure emerges. He's of average height with dark hair and brown eyes. He's wearing nothing special, just plain black clothes. Something jingles in his pocket as he steps out of the air-conditioned hotel and feels the warm gusts of air against his cheeks. The air smells like freshly cooked doughnuts, and he sniffs the air, enjoying the sweet smell. A firefly perches on his hair, entirely unnoticed by the man.

He takes a moment to enjoy the fireflies. A few land on his arms, and he lightly brushes them off. The firefly in his hair still lies low and hides in his dark locks.

When someone on a bike whizzes past him, the backside of the seat blinking a cautionary red, he snaps out of his trance and concentrates on what he's got planned ahead. Something that's very overdue, several days to be exact, but he wanted the first time doing this to be alone. Arrangements have to be made, because he doesn't know how longer they can exist in this happy bubble without any drama from their time at the pizzeria popping up unexpectedly.

They _should_ be worried. Surely something's going to pop their easy existence in the city, whether it be somebody they once knew that will try to bring them back to the pizzeria or the empty cabinet in the hotel room that was once full of money, but now has nothing in it except for a small piece of lint.

Before he turns the corner to head down the street, he glances back at the looming hotel. Sure enough, the only room with the open window and billowing curtains still has a light on. No movement is audible inside the room.

They hate the feeling of being trapped in one place, with only one door to leave from, so they always sleep with the window open. It connects them with the outside and if they needed to leave, they could easily jump out the window. Well, they'd probably break a few bones, but they wouldn't listen to his warnings.

Knowing that they're safe inside the room, he sticks his hands in his pockets and heads down the road.

Cars whiz past his frame, smoke fumes drifting into the atmosphere. The bright lights of the buildings make late-night tourists gape up in awe, causing some to take out their cameras to take a quick picture. A loose dog dashes across the busy street, luckily avoiding getting hit, a jeweled collar around its neck. He relaxes as he walks, noting that there's currently not a reason to be on edge. Nothing will attack him when he's out in the crowds. There will be too many witnesses.

It's been a week since they left the pizzeria, but everything still seems so unreal. Even though he never acknowledged it while being at Fazbear's Pizzeria, he subconsciously expects something to swoop down from above and remind him that he's not in control. Then, he would be brought back to the pizzeria, where his life will be full of boundaries that he isn't allowed to cross.

For now, he's thankful for his freedom. Even a simple act of walking down the street would be too much freedom, in Freddy's case. So he enjoys every bug that flits by his face, every person that walks by, regardless if they ignore him or give him a small smile, and every wind that whispers past his ear.

Passing by several restaurants that lay side-by-side, the man spots a couple sitting on a water fountain, their bodies close. They smile as she takes a selfie, their cheeks pressed together.

 _I wonder if that will be me someday,_ the man thinks. _Maybe I'll find a girlfriend in this city._ The thought just strikes him there, that he's eligible for dating. That means that the others back at the hotel room are eligible, too.

"Oh no," the man whispers to himself, imagining Foxy walking down the sidewalk with girls trailing behind him. The image of the couple on the water fountain becomes Chica and Bonnie, and Chica takes the selfie and presses her cheek against Bonnie's. The thoughts makes him feel awkward; he's never imagined his friends in any kind of romantic situations.

Also, what would they think if he found a girlfriend?

 _Okay, enough of that… I've got to focus, not think of my future love life._

There's another street that he goes down, then taking a left will bring him to his destination, according to the map back in the hotel room.

A sign in front of a humongous building exclaims, "Train Central 27! Wherever you need to go, a ticket is your one-way stop!" It's a nice, brick building and his shoes tap on the terrazzo flooring as he enters. The air inside is crisp and clean. A woman at the counter smiles at him, a little wary, and he smiles back.

"Hello. Do you need anything?" she asks, eyes flicking over his all black outfit.

The man shakes his head. "No, I just need to make a quick phone call."

"Oh, okay. If you need anything or instructions, be free to ask."

He noticed her tone of voice and he forces himself to head to the phones and look straight ahead and not at the floor. He shouldn't act ashamed. He's not a monster anymore. Even though the lady is acting disrespectful and treating him like he's something unappealing, the man forces himself to take a deep breath and look on the bright side of things.

 _My name is Mike Schmidt. Born as a human between two parents who were already starting to separate, my life was as normal as it could be until I landed a job at the pizzeria. Upon entering to look for something in the back for my sleazy boss, I was reincarnated by an animatronic bear named Freddy Fazbear and was forced to take a part in his family of four. In between those months that I stayed there, I tried relentlessly to escape. Eventually, with cunning skill and strength, I finally escaped with everyone else in tow._

 _I didn't merely run away. No, there was so much more skill to it than that. It was like an unbelievably hard game of chess. You had to make your move as perfectly as you could, always you'd lose. So many preparations and battles took place, it would be best to call it a war. There's got to be another word for that final escape that would tell of the struggles of those months at the pizzeria… Evade? Evading Freddy. That sounds stupid._

 _Dodge. Avoid. Baffle. None of those are good…_

 _Elude?_

It's the perfect word to describe Mike's story, and this label he can put onto his "past life" gives him a sense of comfort. Something that was already done with, wrapped up in a package, labeled, and shipped somewhere else away from him.

Sliding his hands out of his pockets, Mike takes out the quarters and lays them out onto the counter. They clatter against the table and the receptionist glances in Mike's direction. Sticking a few of them into the pay slot, he takes a deep breath.

 _Continuing on, the building burned. There was only one casualty, that being Freddy._ At this, Mike nosily swallows, hating himself for the feeling that arises in his chest. _Freddy is dead, I know it. I saw how the flames were already burning his suit. He couldn't have survived. And if he is… he's hurt, for sure._

 _But that's almost impossible. For now, I believe that I'll never have to worry about him again._

Pulling the phone up and hearing the monotone rings, Mike holds his other hand over his exposed ear to block out the excess noise of the downtown traffic. Even in a building with thick glass windows and a heavy brick design he can still hear the clamor.

There's not any ounce of silence in this place. It's a loud, rambunctious city where it's easy to get lost at. It's so easy to blend into the scenery and walk protectively inside the crowd. Something that Mike wants, for now.

Thinking of that woman's tone of voice, he slowly shakes his head.

 _Remember, Mike, this world isn't all sunshine and rainbows. Some people are going to act unacceptably rude without any explanation, but that's just how it is._

While waiting for him to pick up, Mike twists the phone cord around his finger. His bangs creep into his face and he flicks it away without a second thought. Not even something as annoying as that could make him mad. He's finally human, not some gross yellow bunny animatronic. Sure, before he was reincarnated, he hated his hair and how it would stick into his face. Now, he doesn't really mind. He always finds himself touching the strands to make sure they're still there.

"Hello?" a boyish voice answers, his voice unusually high.

Blinking in confusion, Mike asks, "Is this Golden?" _Or is this some little kid that randomly picked up the phone?_ The sound of a TV is in the background, with fans cheering and music playing. A door slams shut and the boy tells someone to be quiet.

"Hey, Mike! I thought that was you. Couldn't recognize me, eh? My voice changed, just like yours! Wow, your voice sounds so different! Much deeper!" Golden Freddy exclaims, causing Mike to lean away from the phone. "Oh ho ho, does this mean what I think it means?"

"You got it. We escaped," Mike admits quietly.

"Great! I've been expecting this phone call for ages, and of all the days you could call me, I've got some people over." Before Mike can say anything, Golden quickly adds, "Don't you dare hang up! I'm going to listen to this whole story on how you escaped, regardless if I have a few people over."

"You're sure? I can call back later."

"Hell yeah! It was hard for me to break through Freddy's precautions, and I can only imagine what you guys did to escape. Tell me everything and don't leave and details out. I want to know exactly what happened!"

With Golden's tone of voice, Mike knows that he would push until he hears the whole story. "Okay, fine. A warning before we start, it's a little confusing in the beginning. Please listen to everything I say, okay?"

"Fine, but make sure to tell me all the juicy details."

"Juicy details?" Mike hisses into the phone, glancing around himself to see if anyone is nearby. "Who do you think I am?"

"Haha, well, y'know, Chica turned into a human, right? She's a pretty gal. Maybe one of you is already in love with her charms. And I know how Foxy always wants to play with you. Remember when he basically told me to back off when I was talking to you? I could smell the jealousy. Bonnie also said he was the closest to you, right? That was when the fireworks were going off, if I remember correctly…"

"They _depend on me_. There wasn't any juicy details," Mike hisses, feeling suddenly irritated at Golden's priorities.

Ever since Freddy's been out of his life, he's found himself to be a calmer individual, but Golden Freddy can really push people's limits. "And are you going to listen or not? Because my patience is wearing thin, _my friend_."

At the last part, Golden barks out with laughter. "You're funny, Mike! Always one to tell jokes." Before Mike can snap out something else, Golden interrupts, "Using your special talent with words, string together the events that I've been so curious to hear. I want to be shivering with excitement and dying with anticipation for what's coming next. You got that?"

"Sure?" Mike says, thinking back to what happened after they left the building. "I'll do my best."

"Great! Everyone's dying to hear what you're about to say, so don't keep us waiting, okay? Get on with it!"

"You're so demanding, you know that? You really need to back off," Mike mumbles. At no reply, he sighs. There's no getting around this, and he needs Golden to understand. And when that happens, Mike will start getting on with his life. At first with the others, showing them around and being there for them, but he's already decided what will happen after he descends from the plane and sinks his toes into the foreign sand. He'll slowly start to wean away from the others and prepare them to take care of themselves. Letting them go, in a sense. Because he can't be there for them forever.

"Alright, the first thing that happened was this…"


	14. Part 14

The smell of burning wood followed them as they crashed through the dark forest, leaving the chaos behind. Fireworks continued bursting in the air, lighting up the dark sky.

Being placed as the leader of the group, Mike took the lead and weaved through the undergrowth. The others followed obediently, not questioning where they were going. They trusted Mike to lead them to safety.

Anyplace away from the pizzeria would suffice.

Usually, for someone to accomplish such a challenging deed, there would be a celebration. But there wasn't any time to celebrate. All of them ignored the pains that were forming in their legs and the rocks and glass that would dig farther into their feet with every step. It wasn't a time where they could relax and lick their wounds, nor would it change their circumstances if they complained; all of them knew this. All of it was for _survival._

The undergrowth started to become cooler against their feet. How many hours has it been since they left? Maybe it was just in his mind, but Mike could still hear the pops of the pizzeria burning. Twitching his ears, he blamed it on the fireworks.

The path that Mike was following was abruptly cut with a fallen tree masked by the darkness. Without hesitation he leaped over it, his feet digging into the earth onto soil upon his feet connecting with the ground. He heard the others grunt as they passed over the rotting wood, especially Chica's. She did have Bonnie in her arms, and the extra weight was probably draining her energy. Taking a glance at Chica and feeling a twinge of guilt at her tired face, his eyes flicked over Foxy.

"Foxy, take Bonnie," Mike commanded, the act of talking leaving him quite breathless. Their footsteps slowed down as the two made the exchange, then they were off, digging themselves deeper into the forest. No conversations were made due to everyone being lost in their own thoughts.

While Mike worried about his parents, Foxy and Chica kept imagining the human world. Being thrown out of the pizzeria and into the world unexpectedly, their past excitement that they felt imagining the human world was replaced with uncertainty. Maybe they both thought that it would never happen, that returning to the human world was something they could wish as they gazed out the pizzeria's window, something that would be just above their grasps.

At one point there was something watching them, and Mike harshly stopped and stepped aside to narrowly avoid being smashed into by Foxy. His eyes scanned the area until he saw a pair of bright eyes. It was only an animal, and Mike forced himself to not let out a relieved laugh.

"It's only a fox," he stated, staring at the animal. It cocked its head as Mike stared at it. "It's harmless."

"Cute," Chica commented quietly.

"That's me," Foxy said. "We're both foxes. So, ya callin' me cute, Chica?"

"No! I mean-"

"Alright, enough. We need to keep going, or we'll be found," Mike commanded, causing the banter to halt.

Again, they continued the pace and Mike kept replaying a song in his head to distract himself from the pain in his legs. Also, he thought about when they stopped to stare at the fox. He felt something beating through his body. Did he already have a heart? If so, they were close to transitioning back to humans. _It must be the distance_ , he thought. _The farther away we run from the pizzeria, the more human we become._

Mike made sure that they were far away from the pizzeria when he finally motioned for them to stop. The sun was just peeking over the horizon as they took shelter under the massive trees. Soil was cramped in between Mike's toes, making them itch.

All of them were short of breath from the unbearably long run. Foxy leaned a still unconscious Bonnie against a tree, then started pacing around the small area. Chica, breathing loudly, sunk beside Bonnie, enjoying the cool shade of the trees. Mike sat on a fallen log, staring at his paws. When he stilled his body and concentrated, he couldn't feel anything pumping through his body. Did his heart disappear?

 _Or was I hallucinating everything?_

The last few hours caught up to him, of all the blood spilled and narrowly avoiding death, and his vision started to blur.

He didn't ask the question that was plaguing his mind. _How can we start our new life if we haven't changed into humans?_ Their humanity was definitely returning, his strength was noticeably diminishing alongside his hearing, but why weren't they changing? Since the pizzeria was burned down and Freddy dead, then they _should_ be humans already. Also, they left the perimeters of the pizzeria, and didn't Golden say that they would change if they left?

But he didn't ask. If he did, he would show his uncertainty and the others would see less of him as their leader. And for everything to work out the way he planned, they would _have_ to trust him.

"I'm going t' search and see if there's any water," Foxy said, prodding Mike's shoulder. "If we're going t' turn into humans, we'll need water, right?"

"You're right. Be careful," Mike precautioned, wiping his eyes. If his body wasn't so tired and his chest healed, he would've went along with him. For now, he needed to rest and regain his strength.

"Aye aye, captain," Foxy whispered, flicking his tail. A frown appeared on his face as he watched Mike wipe his eyes. His hand twitched, as if it wanted to move, but it stayed put by his side. "I'll be back soon." Then he was gone, his red fur disappearing into the forest.

 _He's so loud_ , Mike thought, listening to the last of the fox's crashing and stomping through the trees. _If we're caught, it'll be due to him crashing through the forest._

 _Well, I guess I shouldn't be complaining... I did manage to escape the pizzeria._ As he stayed there on the log, he started to feel something press down on his chest.

 _I must be sick,_ Mike thought. Then again. the fact that he'll be returning to the world like a fish tossed into a huge lake was bugging his mind. The reality was crushing him, and there was no time to adjust.

* * *

Time seemed to drag by as Foxy searched for water. Bugs constantly buzzed in Mike's ears, annoying him. Chica was in a light sleep, her tiny breathes audible to his ears.

In this time, Bonnie decided to wake up. Much to the other's surprise, his eyes shot open and his eyes flitted around the scenery with confusion. His nose crinkled at the unusual smell of the forest. Shuffling in his spot, causing Chica to wake up with a tiny squeak, he yawned. Without a questioning tone, more so like a statement, he asked, "What happened."

"You're awake!" Chica exclaimed, engulfing him in a huge hug. Pulling away, she asked him sternly, "Are you feeling okay? Do you need anything? Are you hung-"

Before Mike can remind them that there's no food, Bonnie beat him to it.

"I'm fine," Bonnie interrupted. He added while glancing at his bloody remains of his arm, "Well, except for that."

"Hey, if you're feeling bad, take a look at my chest. Freddy mutilated it," Mike said, glancing into the depths of the forest.

"Oh, dang," Bonnie whispered in horror.

"I wish I could heal all of you!" Chica exclaimed, internally feeling bad for not providing for her family.

"I'm fine. Now that you're awake, we can travel faster and get the hell away from here. But before we can travel, we have to find some water. Foxy's looking for some, but I'm not sure when he'll be back."

* * *

When Foxy returned with news of a stream, the sun was at its peak in the sky. Day one of escaping from the pizzeria, Mike internally counted.

"I found water!" he exclaimed, crashing through the brush and gasping when he saw Bonnie. "And you're awake!"

"I'm awake," Bonnie repeated, stifling the urge to roll his eyes.

After they had all settled and Foxy's excitement had dwindled, they followed the fox to the stream. It took an hour to travel to the water, and by then, the crew was breathing heavily. Their cuts weren't healed in the slightest, and their movements were becoming more sluggish.

Not huge in size, the stream flowed over rocks and the fish's scales glowed in the sunlight as they enjoyed the cool water. Leaves floated on top, dipping under then reappearing on the surface.

They halted beside the stream, not wanting to slip in. Mike guessed the water was five feet deep. The current wasn't bad, either, by the way the leaves moved on top of the water.

"Everyone, follow me," Mike commanded, taking a step towards the stream.

"Mike, what are ya-" Foxy started, then gasped as Mike stepped into the water. The dried blood washed away, staining the water around Mike red. The water was up to his chest, and he ducked his head to get any remaining blood off. The cold water nipped at his suit, and he felt it flood into his body, cleaning off the endoskeleton inside. A moment passes where he allowed his body to drift along with the current, and his mind wasn't telling him to stop.

But his feet ripped into the watery earth on instinct. Even if his mind wanted to be drifted under the water, his body was trained to stay above.

"-Doin'."

"Come in! The water feels nice," Mike urged, earning several skeptical glances. "The water won't hurt you."

"I wanna see you get in first," Bonnie said slyly, lightly smacking Chica's back.

"Me?! she squeaked, exasperated. "Why are you suddenly picking on me?!"

"Picking on you? What do you mean?"

Chica huffed. "You're making all these unnecessary comments! Remember the fox, and that comment? About me being cute? It's all making me nervous!"

"Just get in the damn water," Mike mumbled, watching Foxy push Bonnie into the water and allowing a smile to cross his face. Chica giggled as Bonnie resurfaced and made a, "Brrrr" sound.

"Listen to Mike, the water feels like heaven," Bonnie moaned, rubbing the grime out of his ear.

"CANNONBALL!" Foxy screamed, splashing into the stream and spraying the other boys with water. The water turned a dirty brown and everyone started laughing. The atmosphere felt back to normal, where jokes could be made. As if the fire never happened.

"Damn, you're dirty," Bonnie snorted, ducking underneath the water as Foxy threw a punch.

At Mike's uncontrollable laughter, Foxy growled playfully. "Ya be makin' fun of me, eh? I declare war on ya! Prepare yourselves!"

As the boys crashed through the water, lost in the "war" that Foxy declared, Chica watched them from the safety of the shore, a small smile on her face. Not a drop of water had touched her, and she preferred it that way.

* * *

There was one thing Mike had been dreading to see. In his current state of still being in a suit, that is. It was the sign placed right in front of the road, a huge display proclaiming the start of the city. The start of civilization that wouldn't accept four fully grown animatronics.

"Now what?" Bonnie asked, falling in behind Mike as he crouched at the end of the forest, where they were still protected by trees. "We can't leave the forest until we've changed."

 _I can tell you've changed,_ Mike wanted to add, but he chose to bite his tongue. So what if Bonnie seemed to flirt with Chica? Their humanity was returning somewhat, and maybe Bonnie was receiving his human, boyish hormones back.

"I know, I know," Mike whispered, relieved that no cars were in sight. "I'm getting it figured out." But what was there to figure out? They were still in the suits, end of story.

What did Golden mean, by leaving and transforming back to their human selves? Did they have to travel a certain distance before they changed? Was magic involved? Or was Golden simply lying to them?

"Hold up, I've got an idea-" Mike started, his voice cut off as Chica suddenly screamed.

"Ew! There's a huge spider!"

And much to Mike's dismay, she ran right out of the forest and onto the road.

"What the hell are you doing!?" Bonnie screetched, his eyes nervous. "Get out of the road! You're going to get hit!"

In reply, Chica's body shook with disgust and she planted her feet firmly down on the concrete. At least, Mike thought it was disgust.

"There's no cars…" Foxy started, voice trailing as Bonnie gave him an annoyed look.

But Mike wasn't paying any attention to them. His eyes were focused on Chica, how her body was… shuddering? Leaving the boys behind, Mike treaded up to Chica, passing the sign that declared, "A new life awaits in the city!"

 _A NEW LIFE!_

The feeling that passed through his system was indescribable, but familiar. "HEY! Get over here!" Mike yelled, feeling the warmness slink into his chest. Everyone was soon past the sign, and all their suits were shuddering, as if a mini earthquake was happening inside their suits.

Everything went black. For five seconds, Mike's vision was useless, spinning into a void of nothing. After a flash of gold and a haunting laugh that made his body prickle, he awoke, shuddering at the voice echoing in his ears.

The others were awake, too.

Now Mike understood what Golden meant. That certain point they had to cross, where the pizzeria would not have any effect on their appearance and their lives. Where they would have…

 _A NEW LIFE!_

"Oh my god," Chica whispered, her eyes twinkling with tears. The others were emotional, especially Bonnie who flexed both of his hands, spreading his fingers and examining his chipped nails. His arm was back.

They were all healed.

But most importantly, they were all human.

Tall and skinny, Bonnie had short dark hair and, Mike snickered at the thought, looked like a pot smoker. Dark circles shadowed his eyes, like he had never caught an ounce of sleep. Chica, short and stocky, had beautiful blonde hair that would make anyone jealous. Her eyes sparkled, bright and caring. Her face was gorgeous, and Mike had to force himself to look away. Foxy, in turn, had wild, reddish hair and had a toothy smile. His holey jeans and baggy shirt signaled hard work, which led back to his childhood of being brought up on a farm.

The "thing" lingering in their chests, the feeling they acquired when living at the pizzeria, was gone. The four of them shared an excited glance.

Mike laughed, running his hands down his pants. The clothes he was murdered in still contained the bloodstains. As if nothing changed that night he was murdered. The clothes spoke of the pizzeria, the last string connecting them to Freddy.

This was the time for celebration, and Mike had never had felt more alive.

* * *

"Wait here."

Chica, Bonnie, and Foxy responded by nodding and warily watching the run-down house from their place behind the bushes.

Of course Mike knew this place well- it was his house. Where his mother raised him, where he spent countless nights alone and watching TV in the living room.

Not even these thoughts could depress him; he was finally human, and that's all that mattered.

Walking up to the door, Mike rang the doorbell and waited. When he couldn't hear the sound of his mother's footsteps, he glanced through the glass of the window beside the door. The blinds were covering it, but there was a small slit he could see through. Not a light was on inside. Perhaps she had went out?

"Mom? I'm back," he yelled, rummaging through a potted plant beside the door, his fingers ripping through the dirt until they touched the cool surface of a key.

Unlocking the door and stepping inside, he glanced around the room and ignored that pang of uneasiness. Throwing open the blinds that covered the windows, light poured into the room.

After checking his mother's bedroom and resting at the kitchen table, wondering exactly where she went, he spotted a small piece of paper on the counter. Getting up and reading the paper, he felt an array of emotions and his eyes water.

 **Mike,**

 **If you're reading this, then you've come home. I've missed you so much. Four months it's been since you left the house and never came back, yes? In that time, I've dug myself into a hole. I was not well to begin with, and your departure has worsened my condition.**

 **Every day, when I would sit at the kitchen table and think about where you were, I would blame myself for everything. The events that would drive you to run away, or other worse situations, have all led ultimately back to me. I'm sorry.**

 **That's why I've left this note. I can't stand living here and being reminded of everything I've lost. So, I've moved away and have no intentions to return ever again. Returning to leave this note and get a few of my personal belongings was almost too much for me.**

 **In a year's time, if you're not found, I am going to sell this house and permanently move to where I'm staying now. Please, call this new cell phone number if you're reading this.**

 **xxx-xxx-xxxx**

 **Love, Mom**

Trying not to cry, Mike ripped his gaze away from the letter and took a deep breath. Just like his mother, he would be leaving this town and starting anew.

Although the note contained obvious worry and depression, the note also spoke of hope. His mother expected him to call and somewhere deep in her heart, she knew he was alive. The sadness immediately left Mike, for he knew that his mother was out there somewhere, waiting for him to return.

And like an adult, he would search relentlessly and find her, someday.

Grabbing the paper and shoving it into his pocket, he left the kitchen and entered his room. There, he grabbed money, all that was left. Counting the musky-smelling money in his hands, he counted a total of three hundred dollars.

He sighed in relief. There would be enough for what he's got planned for. Using the next ten minutes to haphazardly throw clothes and other small items in a small suitcase, he made sure to lock the door behind him as he left the house, already knowing he would never return.

* * *

The train station was deafeningly loud. Mike, in clean clothes, pulled the hoodie over his head. The ticket was clutched firmly in his hand, the ticket to his future.

Although he wanted to ignore it, he felt Chica's arm move as she readjusted her beautiful hair. No! She called him family. Was it wrong that he was attracted to her pretty face?

He had to ignore the touch and what it did to his skin. It was all for the plan, one he had devised while crashing though the forest. He never wanted to tell the others what he really had in store for the future. Eventually, he'll let them go, after he shows them how to behave normally as humans. Everything would blur into the past, even his "family", as they dubbed it. Thinking of Chica as someone he could potentially date would defeat the whole purpose.

 _A NEW LIFE!_ Mike kept imagining the sign, and Chica's touch eventually faded into the background.

The train whistled and the four of them stood up from their seats. With Mike's clean clothes on their bodies, they clutched onto their train tickets. Mike urged them to go ahead, where they would enter the train and submit their ticket. After glancing at him like wary children, they left his side.

First is Bonnie, Chica, then Foxy. They disappear into the train, where they will wait for Mike.

Before entering the train, Mike glanced behind at what was soon to be forgotten. The forest stretched in the distance, an engraved memory of pain and struggle. The dirty floor of the train station, where Foxy and Mike collapsed together in the corner, the emotion finally hitting them and causing tears to stream down their faces. Even a particular section of the twinkling sky, where Mike had memorized where the stars laid from his constant night watching from the pizzeria, where everything seemed hopeless.

Mike was lost in the horror, of how the blood spilled out of his body that first night and choked his lungs, but the vision wavered as they called his name. Again, they repeated it, until Mike was focused on how tight he was holding onto the ticket and the train's impatient whistle.

The voices were clear the third time, and Mike was aware of himself submitting his ticket. Heading over to the booth they were sitting in, Mike perched beside the window and kept his eyes on the passing scenery.

Their gazes were burning into his skin, but he had allowed himself this one moment to reminisce on the past, the events that he would attempt to erase upon leaving the train. There was too much. Everything that he had seen and felt at Freddy's had suddenly overwhelmed him, and he wanted to ask if the others felt the same way, too.

Maybe it would be more difficult than he thought, to erase the memories of the pizzeria. Would these memories stick with him forever? The thought worried him.

But when Bonnie grabbed his hand and gave an assuring squeeze, Mike knew that things would eventually work out, somehow.

* * *

 **A/N: Wow, it's been so long since I've updated this story. To be honest, I had a falling out with FNAF. When I was a few years younger, I'd always get mad at authors who forgot about their stories because of work and school, but yes, that's what happened to me. I'd work all the time, and in my free time, I'd hang out with friends. Stories and fanfiction in general was in the back of my mind. I have no free time whatsoever.**

 **I just finished homework and randomly decided to check on this story. After reading the last sentence of this chapter, I decided that this was a fitting place to end everything. If I made more and finished everything in a very organized fashion, I think that'd be disappointing. With this ending, you can imagine whatever you want to happen next. I think that's the true beauty of stories that have ominous endings; you really think about the ending and wonder what could've happened. That's why I decided to end it here.** **Thank you to everyone who read this story and who left comments. Your support meant, and still means, a lot to me.**

 **I want to give a _HUGE_ shoutout to Cadentclock39. He was one of my daily encouragers when I was writing and was always there if I was lacking in ideas. Thank you so much for being there for me. I'll never forget your kindness.**

 **-TheActualFoxy**


	15. UPDATE!

Hi everyone! I'm sorry for the constant updates, but it's the only way to contact everyone who's been invested in this story. I wish there was another way to contact my followers without publishing an official "chapter," but I guess it's the only way.

I'm writing this today because of people wondering about another possible ending. People have been asking many questions about the sequel. Or, should I say, sequel(s) because the first sequel was deleted. Yes, Semper Fi, the first official sequel, was deleted quite some time ago. If I understood correctly, the author was finding it difficult to find time to write.

On the other hand, the current updating sequel (a continuation of the previously deleted sequel, if I understand correctly) is called 'Continuous Elusion' by Mike the Night Guard.

I hope this answers any questions! If you still have questions about the story, please feel free to message me!

~TheActualFoxy


End file.
